Back Issue #37 by TwoMorrows Publishing

THIS ISSUE: COMICS GO TO WAR!

er 2 0 09 D ec e m b

N$o6..39 75

SECRETS OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER

WONDER WONDER WOMAN’S WOMAN’S RETURN RETURN TO TO WWII WWII

THE INVADERS, WWII’s HEROES

82658 27762

PLUS A HISTORY OF THE JOE KUBERT SCHOOL!

PLUS: BLACKHAWK • ENEMY ACE • COMBAT KELLY • VIETNAM JOURNAL WITH: EVANIER • PRATT • SINNOTT • SPIEGLE • AND GERRY TALAOC RETURNS!

THE

BATCAVE C O M P A N I O N NOW SHIPPING! Batman. Is he the campy Caped Crusader? Or the grim Gotham Guardian? Both, as The Batcave Companion reveals. On the brink of cancellation in 1963, Batman was rescued by DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz, who, abetted by several talented writers and artists, gave the hero a much-needed “New Look” which soon catapulted Batman to multimedia stardom. In the next decade, when Batman required another fresh start, Schwartz once again led a team of creators that returned the hero to his “creature of the night” roots. Writers Michael Eury (The Krypton Companion, The Justice League Companion) and Michael Kronenberg (Spies, Vixens, and Masters of Kung Fu: The Art of Paul Gulacy) unearth the stories behind the stories of both Batman’s “New Look” and Bronze Age (1970s) comic-book eras through incisive essays, invaluable issue-by-issue indexes, and insightful commentary from many of the visionaries responsible for and inspired by Batman’s 1960s and 1970s adventures: Neal Adams, Michael Allred, Terry Austin, Mike W. Barr, Steve Englehart, Mike Friedrich, Mike Grell, Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella, Adam Hughes, Sheldon Moldoff, Will Murray, Dennis O’Neil, Bob Rozakis, Mark Waid, Len Wein, and Bernie Wrightson. Featuring 240 art- and info-packed pages, The Batcave Companion is a must-have examination of two of the most influential periods in Batman’s 70-year history.

Written by Back Issue’s

MICHAEL EURY & MICHAEL KRONENBERG ISBN 978-1-893905-78-8 $26.95 in the U.S. plus shipping Batman, Robin, and all related characters and indicia are TM & © DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

TwoMorrows. Celebrating The Art & History Of Comics. TwoMorrows • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com

Volume 1, Number 37 December 2009 Celebrating the Best Comics of the '70s, '80s, '90s, and Today!

The Retro Comics Experience!

EDITOR Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow DESIGNER Rich J. Fowlks

BACK SEAT DRIVER: Editorial by Michael Eury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 FLASHBACK: Sgt. Rock of Easy Company in “The Longer Shadow” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 How the controversies of the Vietnam War shaped the adventures of DC’s Top Sergeant

COVER ARTIST Joe Kubert

INTERVIEW: Comics 101: Joe Kubert and His School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. . . . 9 The master illustrator/teacher/editor in an exclusive interview

COVER COLORISTS Glenn Whitmore and Jason Geyer

GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD: Stan Lee’s “Kubert School”? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Didja know that Marvel once considered opening its own comics school? OFF MY CHEST: In Search of “True Bios” of Comic-Book Creators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 In a guest editorial, Man of Rock’s Bill Schelly discusses what makes a “true” biography

PROOFREADERS John Morrow and Eric Nolen-Weathington SPECIAL THANKS G. K. Abraham Mark Arnold Michael Aushenker Dick Ayers Jerry Boyd Alan Brennert Pete Carlsson Catholic Digest Gerry Conway DC Comics Tony DeZuniga Mark DiFruscio Bill DuBay Michael Dunne Mark Evanier Gary Friedrich Father Roy Gasnick Don Glut Grand Comic-Book Database Larry Hama Jack C. Harris Heritage Comics Auctions Ice Cream Soldier Carmine Infantino Dan Johnson Dave Karlen

Jim Kingman Joe Kubert Don Lomax David Michelinie Ian Millsted The National Archives Nightscream Martin Pasko George Pratt John Romita, Sr. Alan Rutledge Bill Schelly Joe Sinnott Mark Sinnott Anthony Snyder Dan Spiegle Gerry Talaoc Roy Thomas John Wells

PRO2PRO: Mark Evanier and Dan Spiegle Fly with Blackhawk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 The unbeatable writer/artist duo look back at their fondly remembered Blackhawk collaboration GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD: Blackhawk Declassified: The Story of the Lost Miniseries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Bill DuBay and Carmine Infantino’s unpublished series, with never-before-seen art FLASHBACK: Stop a Bullet Cold, Make the Axis Fold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Wonder Woman went back to the ’40s in the ’70s, thanks to the popular TV show BEYOND CAPES: Kiss Me “Deadly”: Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen. . . . . . . . . . 34 Despite its brutally short run, this comic-book casualty breathed fresh life into the war genre BEYOND CAPES: From Parts “Unknown”!: The Unknown Soldier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Joe Kubert’s other World War II hero battled Axis forces for a dozen years INTERVIEW: Soaring to New Heights: George Pratt’s Enemy Ace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 An art-loaded look at the master painter’s War Idyll graphic novel FLASHBACK: The Invaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Marvel Comics’ Golden Age heroes in their Bronze Age series WHAT THE--?!: Saints and Superheroes: The Brief Union of Marvel Comics and the Catholic Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 When Saint Francis of Assisi, Pope John Paul II, and Mother Teresa blessed the House of Ideas FLASHBACK: The Annotated Vietnam Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 A review of Don Lomax’s seminal work INTERVIEW: Don Lomax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 The writer/artist of Vietnam Journal takes us into the trenches FLASHBACK: Sad Sack During the Bronze Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 War isn’t always hell, at least not in this funny favorite BACK TALK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Reader feedback on “Villains” issue #35 BACK ISSUE™ is published bimonthly by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor, 118 Edgewood Avenue NE, Concord, NC 28025. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Six-issue subscriptions: $44 Standard US, $60 First Class US, $70 Canada, $105 First Class Mail International, $115 Priority Mail International. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover art by Joe Kubert. Sgt. Rock TM & © DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2009 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Publishing. BACK ISSUE is a TM of TwoMorrows Publishing. ISSN 1932-6904. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING. Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 1

A 2005 Sgt. Rock watercolored sketch by Russ Heath, from the collection of Jerry Boyd. TM & © DC Comics.

COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg

As a child during the Vietnam War era, I was taught to be a pacifist through media exposure. Between television’s and Life magazine’s horrific depictions of the wounded and dead to music artists decrying the conflict—plus those seductive (to this kid, at least) hippies protesting Vietnam making the nightly news—I joined a chorus of Americans who agreed with singer Edwin Starr’s assertion that war was good for absolutely nothin’. With the enlightenment that accompanies aging, I later grew to venerate our dedicated military and acknowledge their sacrifices and commitment. Yet because of my early disdain of all things pertaining to war, during my youth I did not develop anything beyond a cursory awareness of the art of Joe Kubert, indisputably the war-comics artist of the Silver and Bronze Ages, until he revitalized Tarzan at DC Comics in the 1970s. (I was too young to have read Kubert’s Hawkman in The Brave and the Bold— Dick Dillin was the Hawkman artist by the time I discovered that book in the late ’60s.) Later, as a comics professional and historian, I nurtured a tremendous respect for Joe Kubert’s artistry—as well as his unparalleled tenure in the business and his reputation as its premier educator—but not having emotionally connected with Kubert’s work as a lad I simply couldn’t call myself a “Joe Kubert fan.” Until now. And I have Bill Schelly to thank for my conversion. Bill Schelly, as you’re probably aware, is one of comics’ most notable historians. His remarkable, intimate book, Man of Rock: A Biography of Joe Kubert (Fantagraphics Books, 2008), is responsible for my newfound appreciation of the talented Mr. Kubert. Joe Kubert’s saga is so richly colorful, were Man of Rock not an impeccably researched biography one might suspect that it was fiction. A Polish immigrant who started his career in comics as a pre-teen, Kubert (generally pronounced koo’-bert, as the first chapter reveals, although the more commonly spoken kyoo’-bert is accepted) spent his early days in poverty,

while his parents struggled to assimilate in a culture they didn’t quite understand. Kubert’s emerging journey through life and into comic books is in itself fascinating, yet in Schelly’s capable hands his story becomes even more engrossing. As a biographer, Schelly digs deep, through interviews new and old, thoroughly exploring his subject’s triumphs and tribulations and bringing each and every member of the Joe Kubert “supporting cast” fully to life. Like a good film director, Schelly the biographer instinctively knows just how long to carry a “scene,” or in this case, a biographical sequence. No question is left unasked, yet never once does Schelly cross the line into exploitation or overexposure. Schelly’s presentation of Kubert’s life makes Man of Rock a true page-turner. You owe it to yourself to read this important—and entertaining—book. And thus it’s an honor for ye editor to showcase the art of Joe Kubert on this issue’s cover, and to feature his recollections regarding two characters he’s associated with, Sgt. Rock and the Unknown Soldier. Jim Kingman’s captivating lead article explores how the controversial Vietnam War reshaped DC Comics’ depiction of World War II, while Michael Aushenker unravels the history of the master-of-disguise Unknown Soldier—and manages to score a jaw-dropping Unknown Soldier portrait by the talented Gerry Talaoc, produced exclusively for BACK ISSUE! (We would’ve liked to feature Mr. Talaoc’s painting on a BI cover, but it gets the nextbest treatment as one-half of this issue’s centerspread.) Additionally, Dan Johnson’s exclusive interview with Joe Kubert offers insight into our cover star’s groundbreaking School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. Also lining up for inspection in this issue are Blackhawk, Combat Kelly, Enemy Ace, Vietnam Journal, and Sad Sack, while Wonder Woman and the Invaders are enlisted to keep the superhero crowd smiling. And writer Mark DiFruscio takes a look at a different side of war through the lens of Marvel Comics’ unorthodox trio of one-shots starring three revered Catholic heroes. This issue has something for everyone, and it’s our hope that even those of you who don’t like war comics will find its topics tantalizing.

2 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Michael Eury

Jim Kingman

“I think there is such a small audience to Vietnam fighting, because even if it is current, and the most important at this writing, the war essentially, on the ground, is small and large scale guerrilla action, and the action does not lend itself to continuous illustrating. Just as the majority of the air actions are against ground targets, and not against other aircraft. Despite the dead and wounded which are very real and very tragic, Vietnam is not a picture war. Just compare the photos and drawings coming out of Vietnam today, with those of World Wars I and II.” The above reply by writer/editor Robert Kanigher to letter writer John Schlafer’s request for a Green Beret series set during the Vietnam War was published in the Oct. 1967 issue of DC’s Our Army at War (#185), featuring Sgt. Rock and Easy Company. In less than a year, Vietnam would very much become a “picture war,” its horrors shown in daily newspapers and broadcast on the nightly news. The devastating effects of this escalating and controversial conflict on the American consciousness would be explored in the Sgt. Rock series for two decades, albeit indirectly, as opposed to other forms of entertainment such as cinema and television. While Sgt. Rock and the combat-happy Joes of Easy Company underwent the early throes of character development in the pages of DC’s Our Army at War beginning in 1959, half a world away in Vietnam, the United States initially maintained advisory status to aid the Republic of (South) Vietnam in the growing conflict for Vietnamese independence. Less than ten years later, the Vietnam War raged between American and South Vietnamese forces and the Viet Cong (Vietnamese communists) and would become the longest war in US history, with US troop strength peaking at 542,000. The war had become a controversial, polarizing military engagement that had no end in sight and was swiftly becoming America’s first “television war.”

A Not-So-Combat Happy Joe Despite a divide of over two decades, DC’s World War II-based Sgt. Rock stories published during the Vietnam War began to echo Americans’ attitudes over that latter conflict. Art by Joe Kubert. TM & © DC Comics.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 3

“NO MORE KILLIN’…” From 1959 to 1967, Sgt. Rock and Easy Company’s monthly comicbook exploits, which started in Our Army at War #81 (Apr. 1959), were essentially battle-action adventures for boys depicted in a WWII setting. While Easy’s missions were more realistically chronicled by Kanigher and illustrated by Joe Kubert and Russ Heath than concurrent superhero tales published in most DC and Marvel comics, they were still marketed to eight- to 12-year-olds, and had to adhere to the strict regulations of the Comics Code Authority. “The stories that we had done up to that time,” explains Joe Kubert, “were ones where we felt that we were trying to show realistically as possible within the context of a comic book that war is not a great thing, that you don’t run around with a cigar in your face and run over and kill people. What we tried to do was to show that people are in the Army and people do what they have to do as required of them and that it is actually a buddy-to-buddy kind of situation, watching out for the guy next to you; where you are in a position in wartime where you can get killed in order to defend yourself very often, and the fact is that you feel [you] are doing the right thing but not for the glory of it and not for the killing of it.” In a decade already besieged by social unrest and great historical significance, 1968 was one of the most volatile years in our nation’s existence. War protests were escalating. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Robert Kennedy were assassinated. Riots were occurring all across the country. And in the pages of Our Army at War #196’s “Stop the War—I Want to Get Off!,” published in June and written, illustrated, and edited by Kubert, who had taken over as editor of the book with Our Army at War

#193, the attitude of the “Sgt. Rock” series shifted dramatically. Rock reacted to the perceived deaths of four new replacements in Easy Company as he never had before in the fields of war— with despair. As the story opened, Rock had had enough of war. He stood alone in a field of battle, smoke all around him. A toppled tank turret rested near him. Four soldiers lay in the rubble before him, apparently dead. Rock felt great anguish. This dramatic scene then shifted to a few hours before. An exhausted Rock reported to his superior officer. Rock was heading out on patrol again, but the C.O. said no, Rock needed his rest. Weary, but determined, Rock refused to let the new replacements go out alone. The four soldiers marched out with Rock point on probe for the fourth straight night. The soldiers drew close to enemy lines. Rock spotted an enemy bunker up ahead. One soldier believed it was an empty tank turret. But inside the turret, a Nazi prepared to fire. Explosives suddenly ignited the sky. The replacements panicked, despite Rock’s orders for them to stay down. The smoke singed Rock’s eyes. Tears swelled up, and he snapped, pleading with himself for an answer to why they wouldn’t listen. He shouted in despair, “Yeah … it’s funny! Four young guys whose names I didn’t even know! Gone!,” and charged the tank turret, while 88mm blasts cut the dirt around him. Rock climbed onto the tank turret, shoving grenades into the view slits. The turret exploded, and the story had reached the moment after the opening sequence. Succumbing to despair, Rock cried, “Enough! No more killin’ … no more blood … no more war!” The story then took on a surreal nature, as a mysterious US soldier suddenly appeared before Rock. The soldier worked to get Rock out of his funk by telling him tales of mankind’s many struggles to overcome adversity in the midst of war. When the soldier addressed the threat of Hitler and the evil Hitler had cast over the world, including the concentration camps, Rock snapped out of it. The soldier disappeared, and Rock discovered that the replacements survived. After a long string of Rock teaming up with Unit 13, a gang of kid resistance fighters, “Stop the War—I Want to Get off!” was clearly a different kind of Rock story.

Anti-Vietnam Demonstration (below) Anti-Vietnam demonstrator offers a flower to a miltary police. Arlington, Virginia, October 21, 1967. By S. Sgt. Albert Simpson. Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration. (left) Kubert’s war-weary Rock, on the cover of Our Army at War (OAaW) #196 (Aug. 1968). Sgt. Rock TM & © DC Comics.

4 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

It took a few issues for an increasing anti-war tone to settle into the series. By the early 1970s, Rock and Easy Company (Bulldozer, Ice Cream Soldier, Little Sure Shot, Four-Eyes, Jackie Johnson, Wildman, Zack, and Canary) were no longer a company of combat-happy Joes; they were growing war-weary, emotionally spent, at times scared, in some instances unstable. (The gripping farmhouse sequence in “The Firing Squad,” published in Our Army at War #248, Aug. 1972, may be the only time all of Easy Company showed confusion, fear, and panic while under siege.) Even Rock’s nightmares were becoming more intense, driven by fatigue and an uncertainty of the war ever ending. This in no way diminished the action—there were always bridges and hills to take, villages and towns to liberate, replacements to assimilate— but the action was now seeped in horror—the horrors of war— and thus the stakes more personal.

Captured Viet Cong (left) A youthful hardcore Viet Cong, heavily guarded, awaits interrogation following capture in the attacks on the capital city during the festive Tet holiday period, 1968. From the National Archives and Records Administration. (below) The My Lai massacre-inspired OAaW #233’s troubling tale,

“MAKE WAR NO MORE!” With the loosening of regulations in the Comics Code Authority in 1971, war stories could be told a little more realistically. Soldier and civilian casualties carried more emotional weight. The horrors and atrocities of war, though not graphically depicted, were allowed heavier implications. And the grim realities of the Vietnam War were no longer kept at a distance. Beginning brutally with “Head-Count” in Our Army at War #233 (June 1971), Kanigher and Kubert’s reaction to Vietnam was incorporated into an Easy Company story. The front cover of the New York Times Magazine for March 2, 1971 reproduced Kubert’s searing cover. “It was the teaser for an article about comic books becoming relevant,” Kanigher noted in the “Take Ten” letters column of Sgt. Rock #414 (Mar. 1978). The story centered on Johnny Doe, Easy’s new replacement, but there was nothing green about him. Doe was on a mission, to kill as many German soldiers as possible, not giving any— even those who had surrendered—the chance to kill him. He had no issue with taking point-on-probe routinely, cutting down Nazis dressed as civilians, or playing possum to draw them closer for an always-accurate kill. The men of Easy coddled him, but Rock felt Doe was a loose cannon on a personal crusade. Doe explained to Rock his troubled childhood, but Rock wasn’t fazed. In time, Easy entered the occupied town of Alimy. (“Alimy” is an anagram of “My Lai,” a Vietnamese hamlet where on March 16, 1968, American troops under the command of Lt. William J. Calley, Jr. gathered more than 300 men, women, and children together and shot them down, an atrocity of war that the US military unsuccessfully attempted to cover up.) Easy’s orders were to take the town. The outfit was fired on heavily. In the midst of the intense skirmish, Doe took to the rooftops, hoping to get the drop on the Germans from above. Scared cries from a second-floor window drew Rock’s attention. A woman screamed that the Germans were holding women and children and threatened to kill them all. Doe reached the building and prepared to drop a live grenade down its chimney. Rock called him off, making it clear they would not jeopardize civilians. Doe refused to back down, shouting to Rock that he was going to kill them all. The grenade exploded in Doe’s hand as Rock fired at the crazed soldier. Doe was killed. Easy took the town, with no civilian casualties. Was it the grenade that killed Doe, or Rock’s shot? Later, Army brass bestowed on Doe a medal for outstanding heroism. Rock and Easy attended the service of last respects. Rock addressed the reader: “Was Johnny Doe a murderer—or a hero? That’s one question each of you will have to decide for yourselves!” (Johnny Doe would be one of many memorable replacements to join up with Easy over the years. A book could be written on the many unique characters Kanigher created, including Heavy, the Dummy, Jigsaw, and Worry-Wart).

“Head-Count.” TM & © DC Comics.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 5

At story’s end, a slogan appeared: “Make War No More,” and that message, obviously directed at the Vietnam War, appeared in the last panel of the majority of Rock’s stories, not to mention all of DC’s other war books, for several years. Still, Rock’s war exploits were not about to turn into an ongoing consciousness-raising study on the controversies involving the Vietnam War. Kanigher and Kubert just shifted perception: it was still World War II, after all; Hitler’s desires remained evil and locked in history, but the series mirrored Vietnam with the toll it was taking, psychologically and emotionally, on the infantrymen. Artist Russ Heath brought the reader in to closer quarters. His realistic, cinematic approach made the reader feel the tension in waiting and the burst of enemy onslaught. The war became less adventurous and more brutal. Rock now had more to say about the atrocities surrounding him. TM & © DC Comics.

War is Hell (below) OAaW #233’s final page premiered DC’s new anti-war slogan. (bottom right) Sgt. Rock, drawn here by Frank Redondo, assesses combat casualties at the conclusion of issue #295’s “Devil in Paradise.”

THE SHADOW OF VIETNAM In January 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed by the United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Viet Cong. US military presence in Vietnam ended two months later. In January 1975, North Vietnam resumed its military campaign to defeat South Vietnam, and on April 30 Saigon was captured. North and South Vietnam united as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, a communist triumph.

TM & © DC Comics.

6 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

The “Make War No More” slogan was dropped in early 1976 from DC’s war books, but the shadow of Vietnam was never lifted from the Sgt. Rock series. A prime example of this is “The Devil in Paradise,” arguably the most powerful anti-war story Kanigher ever wrote, and superbly illustrated by Frank Redondo (who took over from Heath and a string of fill-in artists, remaining on the series for several years). The story was published in Our Army at War #295 (Aug. 1976). “Devil in Paradise” opened as many Easy tales had over the years, with the Allied taking of an Axis-occupied town. Once the town had been “deloused” of German presence, Rock took a break from the mental pressures of war pressing in by entering a nearby forest, a kind of paradise, which Rock saw and felt as “the first day of the world.” He walked across green grass, listened to birds sing, drank from a clear stream, watched a beautiful butterfly land on his hand, “…like a piece o’ rainbow…,” and was brutally struck down from behind by a German soldier. When Rock awakened, the Nazi demanded information about the American’s mission, which Rock would not give, other than his name, rank, serial number, and a nod to the Geneva Convention. When a bird suddenly swooped in between them, Rock was able to subdue the startled German and take his rifle. When Rock sought the same information, the German refused to cooperate, instead questioning Rock’s inability to kill him. “There are no rules—in war!” the German declared, tossing dirt into Rock’s face. The two soldiers battled over the rifle as shots fired wild, effectively shattering paradise. The Nazi fell, “blood bubblin’ out’ve him.” Rock saw a pair of innocent birds cut down by the gunfire. He staggered out of the woods, his spoken words realistically harsh: “When’re we ever goin’ to stop turnin’ everythin’ into … a graveyard!” There was no rectitude in Kanigher’s powerful statement, no solace, no affirmative “Move out, Easy! There’s a war on!” This was the shadow of Vietnam permeating the proceedings, letting the reader know that a real war may have ended, but there would be no going back to the “simpler” times of battle action for boys.

SCRIBBLY

Scribbly

Our Army at War was retitled Sgt. Rock in late 1976. The passage of time allowed the Vietnam War to achieve a bitter perspective. As the 1970s waned, Vietnamese boat people began appearing on American shores. In 1981, Ronald Reagan became president and began to build up the US military’s strength and confidence, and the popularity of war comics slowly faded. All the while, the devastating emotional plight of the returned, unsung, haunted Vietnam veterans drew greater attention. “Vietnam is different than any other wars,” Kanigher explained, “in that ‘shellshock’ in World War I and ‘combat fatigue’ in World War II manifested themselves immediately. The horrors of Vietnam were a delayed reaction that erupted years later, like a sleeping volcano finally shattering its crust.” (Sgt. Rock #390, “Take Ten” letters column, July 1984.) Kanigher also commented, “I believe the world is now realizing the unique hell our soldiers went through and are still suffering flashbacks from.” (Sgt. Rock #393, “Take Ten” letters column, Oct. 1984.) Kanigher, along with artist Andy Kubert and Kubert senior as editor, would reiterate these comments in one of their boldest creative strokes, “So Long, Scribbly,” published in Sgt. Rock #408 (Feb. 1986). This story focused on the soldier as a mental, emotional casualty, in effect mirroring the helplessness and suffering Vietnam vets still struggled with. Scribbly joined up with Easy in France. He was an artist who impressed everyone with his cartoon sketches of civilian life and soldiers on the march. But he was deeply disturbed by a bomb blast that killed one of his buddies and hurled him into a tree. When he attempted to sketch the scene, it didn’t look right as a cartoon. As his involvement with bursts of violence grew, Scribbly found it harder and harder to find the humor in his artistry. Then came a skirmish in a French graveyard, where the Americans and Germans fought in tough hand-to-hand combat, and Scribbly saved Rock’s life by stabbing and killing a German soldier. At that moment, something broke inside Scribbly, and Rock described it powerfully: “It was raw killin’ … nothin’ heroic about it! We were fightin’ for survival, every G.I. an’ Kraut! We didn’t know it … but—we were creatin’ our own nightmares … that we’d have to live with … for the rest of our lives!” As Rock thought these words, the reader gazed at the shell-shocked, horrified expression on young Scribbly’s face. We knew what he was storing behind his eyes; violent, bloody images that his mind screamed to process rationally, but could not. When Rock snapped him out of it, Scribbly reached for his sketch pad and drew feverishly. He then handed the illustration to Rock. “I-I’m finished. Rock … I got it all down.” There was nothing but white scribble and swirled lines on black paper. Incomprehension. Madness. The face of war. A lingering, unexplainable horror that remained in the minds of most Vietnam veterans. Kanigher and the Kuberts had nailed war’s insanity. In the “Take Ten” letters column of Sgt. Rock #411 (Aug. 1986), Kanigher revealed Kubert’s editorial influence on “So Long, Scribbly.” It’s interesting that with Kubert’s major change, to have the story end with Scribbly’s crazed scribbling, it altered the meaning of the title, implying the “So long” referred to Scribbly losing his mind, and not being shipped home at story’s end as Kanigher originally wrote. Ending it abruptly with the sketch provided a stronger, more lasting tragic resonance.

(left) Joe Kubert’s cover to Sgt. Rock #408 (Feb. 1986) honored his friend Sheldon Mayer. Among Mayer’s many contributions to the DC canon was Scribbly, a Golden Age series about a boy cartoonist, from which Rock #408’s title character took his name. (below) From the interior, Scribbly’s scribbling. Art by Andy Kubert. TM & © DC Comics.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 7

Bodies of Viet Cong (left) With fear and apprehension showing on their faces, and at the urging of South Vietnamese troops, women and children loaded down with salvaged possessions scurry past the bodies of three Viet Cong killed in the fighting. May 1968. From the National Archives and Records Administration. (below) Rock’s M.I.A. buddies become K.I.A. Cover to Sgt. Rock #418 (Oct. 1987). Art by Joe Kubert. TM & © DC Comics.

“THE SONS OF EASY” Sgt. Rock #418 (Oct. 1987) featured “The Sons of Easy,” by Kanigher and Andy Kubert, and brought the Vietnam War full circle in Rock’s history, with Rock dreaming of Vietnam, and Kanigher looking back at the sons of Easy participating in it. It was a history lesson that still hit close to home, allowing Kanigher to depict Easy’s final fate without it even occurring during World War II. (Kanigher always maintained that Rock and Easy would not survive WWII, and he claimed to have that story in his mind’s vault, but he never wrote that actual tale.) In a foxhole along battle lines, Rock slept and dreamed of a future where Easy had survived World War II. They married, served in Korea, raised children, and, in 1968, said goodbye to their sons and daughter who left by jet to serve one year in the Vietnam War. None would return alive. While on a mission to locate and retrieve three soldiers missing in action, the sons of Easy were systematically picked off by the Viet Cong until only Rock and Bulldozer remained, seated back to back in an open area, grenades drawn, as the Viet Cong prepared to emerge from the jungle and gun them down. The grenades detonated, and with a bright orange flash Rock awoke in the foxhole. Slowly, the dream receded from memory, and Rock returned to the World War at hand. Shortly after this story was published, in April of 1988, Sgt. Rock was canceled with #422. The character has remained an enduring legend in comics. As powerful and relevant as these Vietnam-inspired stories were and remain, none of them were created at the expense of quality entertainment. Kanigher was too good of a storyteller for that and Kubert too conscientious an editor, and they both gave their best to Sgt. Rock, as did the artists who served him. Rock would always speak volumes about the horrors of war in a single thought, whether expressed before the sudden, brutal death of a new replacement; when catching the shell-shocked gaze of civilians who had lost their families, homes, and towns; or at the sight of bodies, both Allied and the enemy, strewn across farm fields and low hills like thrashed, discarded animals. It was neither poetic nor inspiring, be it the World War the company fought in or during the controversial war that raged as their missions were being published. Rock and Easy found no glory in either one. JIM KINGMAN purchased his first comic book, DC’s World’s Finest Comics #211, on a family road trip in March of 1972, and has been reading and collecting comic books ever since (with no end in sight). He has been writing about comics since 1993, and currently edits and publishes Comic Effect, a small press fanzine emphasizing the fun in reading comics.

8 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Dan Johnson

conducted June 1, 2009

A lot of people have dreams of working in the comics industry. To make it in the business, you need a number of things going for you, including talent, determination, and a love for the art form. What really helps, though, is having someone who has already made a name for themselves in comics recognize the potential in you and offer their wisdom and guidance. Comics legend Joe Kubert knows that the latter is essential to artists who want to break into the highly competitive field of comics. Indeed, having the right people see the raw ability in a young artist and encourage them is just as important today as it was when Kubert himself was first breaking into the business at the dawn of the Golden Age of Comics. That was why he founded the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art in Dover, New Jersey, in 1976. This institution has played a major role in shaping the world of comics since the early 1980s and has turned out some of the best artists working today in comics and other areas of the commercial arts. – Dan Johnson DAN JOHNSON: How did you come up with the idea for the school? JOE KUBERT: It was a thought I had for many years. Ours is a very unique area in the commercial-arts field and my experience has been that very few people outside of the field really know what the demands are in order to be able to get into it. I was lucky because I talked to different publishers while I was looking for jobs when I was a kid, and the guys I met were really terrific. The artists, the editors, and the publishers would talk to me and explain things to me. I would have an art director or an editor that would refer me to an artist who was doing work and these artists would then explain to me the tools they used and how the work had to be done and so on. Little by little, I was able to garner enough information to get into the business. If a person doesn’t, through his own efforts, find out exactly what the demands are, it is very difficult to get into the business. In the back of my head, [I thought,] “I was able to gather all this information. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a place, a school, where somebody who was really committed and wanting to do this work could get all this information fed to them?” Instead of taking the ten or 15 years it took me to absorb all the things that were necessary to

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 9

Beginnings: Apprenticing at Harry “A” Chesler’s comics studio at age 11

Milestones: Flash Comics / 3-D comics co-creator / Tor / The Flash’s Silver Age revival in Showcase (with Carmine Infantino) / Sgt. Rock in Our Army at War / Hawkman in The Brave and the Bold / Enemy Ace / Tales of the Green Beret / Unknown Soldier / Tarzan / Abraham Stone / Fax from Sarajevo / Yossel: April 19, 1943

Current Projects: Instructing a new generation of artists at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art

Cyberspace: www.kubertsworld.com

joe kubert

Joe Kubert, instructor, and unidentified students, early 1980s. 10 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

become a true professional, it could be done in less time. Of course, it would be a rather intense course of study, but nevertheless, I thought it would be a good idea. I’m married and I have five kids, and [the idea for the school really took shape] when the kids got out of the house and were old enough to get out on their own. My wife was a graduate of a business school and she was looking around for something to keep herself busy. I said, “If we could find a place that was close enough to where we live, what do you think of the idea of starting [a school]?” And I said to my wife, Muriel, “We will do this only if you handle the business end. If you think you’re interested in doing that, then I would be willing to take a crack at it and try it.” My wife said, “Sure, if we come across a place.” As it happened, a place did come up, a large house in our town, Dover, New Jersey, which meant I wouldn’t have to commute. If I had to commute more than 15 minutes from the house to my own studio, the school would not be here. It was a large house and it was only five minutes from my house, so we kicked it off. That’s the way it began. JOHNSON: Was there anyone in particular that you sought out in the comics business to get advice from before you started the school? KUBERT: I got a lot of help and advice from people in the business. I spoke to Jack Adler, who was in charge of production up at DC, and Sol Harrison, who had also been in production at DC. I asked them what they felt the artists should know before doing work for any publication. I also spoke to Burne Hogarth, who was one of the initiators of the School of Visual Arts in New York, and he happened to be a fellow member of the National Cartoonist Society. We discussed the school and talked about it and Burne kind of warned me about some of the pitfalls that might occur. JOHNSON: Who were some of the first instructors at the school? KUBERT: The instructors were friends and people that I knew in the business. Dick Giordano was one of the early teachers. Hy Eisman has been with the school since I started. Irwin Hasen, who has been a longtime friend, was working with me until just a year ago, as a matter of fact. He’s in his early nineties and commuting from New York to Dover just became too much for him. Dick Ayers worked here. Lee Elias taught here, as well as Ric Estrada. We’ve had a heck of a lot of instructors here. JOHNSON: How many instructors work at the school currently? KUBERT: We keep at least 15 to 20 different instructors on staff because none of them work here full-time. They take a day or two out of their week and they’re more than willing to come here and teach. They sure as heck aren’t doing it for the money. The instructors are the same kind of people I met when I first came into the business. They know how tough it is to get into the business, and if they can recognize and see something in someone who really wants to learn, someone who really wants to get into the business, they are more than willing to help them in any way they can. JOHNSON: I didn’t realize there were no full-time instructors on staff at the school. KUBERT: There are no full-time instructors and none of them are contracted. [The reason why there are no contracts] is because every one of them is working in the area that they teach, and very often a deadline will come up and they can’t make it to the school. We try to be as flexible with them as we can be and they are flexible with us. If there is any success that is linked to the school with the people coming here, it is a direct

result of the people who teach here. They are the greatest bunch of people. I’m only sorry I can’t go through a list of the instructors who have taught here. It would take me a half-hour to go through the list of the people who have taught here and who are still loved by the people who attended while they were teaching. JOHNSON: I had always heard that the instructors list at the school reads like a Who’s Who of the comics industry. Now tell us, what was the initial curriculum at the school? KUBERT: It is the same curriculum that we are holding on to today with very little variation except for the heavy introduction of computers, which is a very important factor in the business today. [The application of computers in modern comics] didn’t exist when I started the school. We have a ten-course curriculum here. People come here primarily because they want to be cartoonists, and they find out very quickly that to do the work we do, they have to know an incredibly large and diverse amount of information in order to be successful in comic books. However, the curriculum also supplies them with the abilities to work in any number of the commercial arts that they may have never even considered. [For example,] many of the people who come here have never even worked in color. Their main work is in black and white, and that is natural. You take a look at early comic books and the artists were usually working in black and white and the coloring is done later. Very rarely was the coloring done by the same person who did the original drawing, and yet color and painting have become more and more important [in the business]. As I said, many of the students have their first experience working with color when they come to the school. As a result of this diversified curriculum, they come out of here and suddenly find they are doing children’s book illustrations or storyboards or advertising illustrations or any number of things that they get into and they learn about as a result of taking the ten-course curriculum that we have. The percentage of people who actually get into comic books as a result

(top left) Milt Neil, instructor. (middle) Tex Blaisdell, instructor, early 1980s. (top right) Frank Thorne, guest speaker, early 1980s. (above) Unidentified students, early 1980s.

of coming through the school isn’t anywhere near as large as people might think. JOHNSON: I know several artists who have worked in the comics business who have advocated that an artist should take any experience they can get. For example, William Stout has done everything from record covers to storyboards to dinosaur paintings for museums. Dave Stevens worked in animation and also did storyboards. I’m always telling other writers that they shouldn’t just limit themselves to comics, but they should take any opportunity they can to write. After all, you never know what those opportunities might lead to. KUBERT: That’s exactly true. In fact, it’s required of every student to pass every one of the courses, whether they like the course or not. There have been people who have come to the school who, in their initial interview, have said, “All I want to do is be an inker. I want to learn how to ink.” Well, they would never get through the school with that kind of motivation. The people who would be accepted into the school have to trust us. If they

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 11

(right) Muriel Kubert, early 1980s. (below) Superhero Catalogue produced by students of the Joe Kubert School. Characters © their respective copyright holders.

12 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

feel they don’t want to do what the other courses call for, they are making a major mistake. People who are coming here primarily want to have the ability to get a job in the field, and to not only get one job, but to work on an ongoing basis so they can make a livelihood off it. You’re not going to be able to do that if you limit yourself to one narrow area because if that area softens up, and that is all you do and that is all you know, you’re out. Those people who are able to stay in the field, like myself, do so because they’re knowledgable of different areas. I’ve done writing, I’ve done editing, and a number of different jobs to be able to continue doing what I am doing. I think every student who comes out of the school with a diploma should have that same ability to insure they are going to be able to make a living. JOHNSON: When you first started the school, how did you get the word out about it? Also, what kind of enrollment did you have in the first year? KUBERT: The first year we had 22 students. The way I advertised the school was I printed up an 8 1/2 by 11-inch sheet of paper declaring that this was what I was starting and added a description of what I intended to do. I was lucky, that’s all. Very frankly, had my wife not agreed to handle the business end, I don’t think we would be sitting here talking right now. She was the one who really pushed this and played mother hen to everybody who came to the school. JOHNSON: I had the pleasure of talking with two of your first students during one of my earliest articles for BACK ISSUE, Steve Bissette and Rick Veitch, and they told me about their time at the school. KUBERT: I’ve kept in touch off and on with Steve and Rick. Thirty-three years later, they don’t look like the same skinny kids who came to the school. Then again, I don’t look the same way either. Rick had long hair then and Steve was skinny like a rail, but both of them were completely and totally committed to what they wanted to do and they worked out. The work they are doing today is good and I’m very proud of them. JOHNSON: Steve and Rick told me that one of the things they did through the school were the adverts that ran in DC and Marvel comics for Heroes World. That was the company that sold Mego action figures and other superhero tie-ins through the mail in the late 1970s and early 1980s. KUBERT: It happened that the people who ran Heroes World were neighbors in Dover. We got to know one another and we did produce the magazine that publicized what they were selling. That was a way for the students to get practical experience and they got paid for what they were doing. I think that was a tremendous opportunity for them. JOHNSON: Steve and Rick also told me that you had students do backup stories for DC as well. KUBERT: DC knew I was starting this school and I had these people who had a lot of ability. I was editing Sgt. Rock, so I contracted with DC to be able to use the students’ work as backup features. I edited their stuff, and I must admit I redrew a lot of their work, but again it gave them the opportunity to get the experience working on the job and they got paid for what they did. That was not easy for them. The school started out as a two-year school, but I soon learned that two years was not enough time for the students to really get a handle on what they had to know to be able to do this work. That is why we extended the curriculum to three years. The first students who went for two years, the curriculum took a heavy toll on them mentally and emotionally because of the time they were spending on their work. Still, they found the time to do [these backup stories]. These were only four- or five-page backup features, but I felt it was an important way for them to be introduced to the business. JOHNSON: Plus, nothing helps to motivate you and build your confidence up like that first sale. KUBERT: You never know what this business is about until you have your first work published. Sometimes that is a heartbreaker. You kill yourself to do the best work you know how, but the

process the published material goes through can be devastating. Somebody else does the coloring and you don’t know what could [go wrong] at that point. [Back when the school started,] the printing process was so raw and primitive, not like it is today. And nobody ever sees your original work. You can do the most beautiful job on your original drawing, but what everybody sees is what is printed in the magazine, and that is what you have to work towards. Still, there is always a thrill when you see your stuff hit the stands. JOHNSON: Getting your work out there so people can see it is the main thing you have to do if you want to make it in the industry. I am always telling writers and artists I know who are younger than me that you have to get out there and let people see what you can do. Unless you do that, you are never going to get feedback and you are never going to know what you are doing that is wrong or right. KUBERT: There is another important part that nobody ever thinks about when you first get into the business, and that is how to comport yourself when you’re talking to people about deadlines and getting the work done like it is supposed to be done. There is also learning how to work with an editor and accepting a job and the responsibilities of that job. JOHNSON: I think that is where it is good to have the students work with professionals who have firsthand experience. The folks you mentioned before who you got advice from and who have served as instructors, they all have sterling reputations in the industry. Not only are they talented, but they define what it means to be true professional. They are the kind of people who know what it is like to be a part of a team and they know how important it is to work well with others to create a finished product. KUBERT: Yeah. All of that is extremely important, and that is why I say the instructors who have taught here are really the motivators for the good things the students are doing. [For example,] Dick Giordano, having acted as an editor for years, describes to the students his job and his

responsibilities and how the artist has to work with him. Most young people coming into the business, it’s like the blind guy examining the elephant. Depending on where you touch it is what you think the whole thing looks like. There are a lot of things that you have to take into consideration and a lot of things that you have to learn about in order to know how to get your first job, finish that first job, and then get your second job afterwards. JOHNSON: I am curious to know how DC’s phasing out of backup stories, as well as their and Marvel’s decision to do longer, multi-issued stories, impacted the school. Did those changing styles make it difficult to get the students’ work noticed by publishers? KUBERT: There has never been a lack of interest [in the school by DC and Marvel]. Marvel, before they went under for the first time, was doing a lot of stuff with us. Both [Kubert’s artist sons] Adam and Andy were working for Marvel for a long time. We were just lucky that we were able to roll with everything that was coming down. [Changes in storytelling styles] didn’t really affect the school. I don’t recall any rough times at all. JOHNSON: How did you reach out to Marvel and get them involved?

Comics Go to War Issue

(below left) Joe Kubert, left (instructor), and Al Williamson, right (visiting speaker), 1980. (below) title page to the Superhero Catalogue. Characters © their respective copyright holders.

•

BACK ISSUE • 13

STAN LEE’S KUBERT SCHOOL? by Michael Aushenker As told to me on August 30, 2007 by John Romita, Sr., Marvel Comics’ master artist and former art director, on the making of How to Draw the Marvel Way: “I can’t believe no one’s ever asked me about this before… [Stan Lee’s] original plan was a very far-reaching plan. John Buscema and I were going to make a series of instruction books. Stan was going to do all the text, and John and I were going to do the artwork. Stan would immediately start throwing stuff at me but I was doing covers, I was drawing [Amazing] Spider-Man, I was drawing Captain America, and I was teaching other artists, so I bowed out. Stan had the idea for these books because he wanted to open a school. I thought to myself, this is going to be great, these books are going to be great, they’re going to open up a school and I’m going to be left out.

(above) Mike Chen (student) and unidentified, early 1980s. (right) Timothy Truman (student) and Irwin Hasen (instructor), early 1980s. Special thanks to Pete Carlsson for providing these photos.

“Even Stan, with all of his great ambitions, didn’t have time. What you saw with that one book was the distillation of a magnificent plan that never got off the ground. He originally said he wanted ten volumes. John had done it in his spare time. “Stan was actually scouting a location for a building. That’s how far-fetched his plan was. But the three of us were working ’round the clock. Even Stan was writing, editing, traveling. [No one had the time to dedicate to this project.] It was a big disappointment for all of us. It was going to be like [Joe] Kubert’s School. “The thing is, it would’ve worked if John and I could take a six-month sabbatical. Even a four-month sabbatical. But I don’t think that Stan could justify that. He needed us working on what we were doing.”

KUBERT: I never reached out to anybody. People started coming to us because they started to recognize the caliber of people that were coming out of the school. For instance, today up at DC, they must have at least ten or 15 of our graduates working there in production. The person who is in charge of production up there is a graduate of the school. There are also a lot of people up at Marvel, too. It might be interesting to know that we have an advisory board here at the school that is composed of about a half a dozen people, including Paul Levitz, Joe Quesada, Victor Gorelick from Archie Comics, and several other notable people. The reason we have this advisory board is to get the best information that we can based on what is currently happening in the business. This way we can prepare the students to go out and get jobs. DC now has a $5,000 scholarship a year for students who attend this school. We have about five or six such scholarships, and none of this was solicited. I don't reach out to any companies; they have come looking to us for the people that they need.

14 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

JOHNSON: I think that pretty much says it all. I have always believed that your school was one of the factors that has most impacted modern comics. I really don’t think the industry from the mid-1980s up until today would have been the same had the school not been in existence. KUBERT: I appreciate that. And as I have said before, I’m proud of everyone who has come through the school. We still keep in touch with many of them, and that is really a joy. DAN JOHNSON is a frequent BACK ISSUE contributor whose writing credits include Herc & Thor for Antarctic Press and occasional gags for the daily and Sunday Dennis the Menace comic strip.

Bill Schelly

For fans of cinema, there’s a book about the life of just about every movie star and director, often more than one. The superstars—people such as Walt Disney, Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Humphrey Bogart, Joan Crawford, and John Ford— have been the subjects of weighty, exhaustively researched tomes. Several impressive biographical books on newspaper-strip cartoonists have appeared, but books that can be considered “true biographies” about the creators of comic books have been few. To explain, I consider a “true biography” (“true bio” for short) of a creative individual to be a book that attempts to tell the subject’s life story and describe his/her work with a degree of completeness that most agree doesn’t leave out anything essential. In order to accomplish this in any depth at all, the text of a “true bio” ought to be at least 45,000 to 50,000 words long, which is the standard length of a short novel. In addition, it ought to more or less objective; that is, be willing to discuss the bad with the good, rather than being merely an exercise in adulation. This is based on my belief that no one’s life and work, even the greatest of the great, is wonderful all the time, and a book that doesn’t acknowledge this isn’t capable of giving the reader a complete portrait. I should add before continuing that I know there are numerous books and fanzines with biographical essays, often as an introduction or adjunct to reproductions of the creator’s work. These are fine for what they are, and I’m not disparaging them in any way when I yearn for longer-form, full-bodied— “true”—biographies. What would be an early example of a “true bio” of a comic-book creator? Consider Frank Jacobs’ biography The Mad World of William M. Gaines (1972). As a comic-book editor and publisher, Bill Gaines collaborated with Al Feldstein to create story ideas for the great EC line of horror, science-fiction, suspense, and war comics of the early 1950s. It’s an entertaining book, containing quite a bit about Gaines’ life and work in comic books. However, it was created primarily as an entertainment for a general audience, and as such is quite superficial in terms of what comics aficionados would want from a biography of the man. Moreover, it’s primarily about Gaines in

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 15

relation to the magazine version of MAD that came after his years in the comic-book arena. When it comes to the “true bio” of comic-book creators, it begins to become obvious that it was a rare bird indeed until the last decade or so. Batman and Me by Bob Kane in 1989 and The Comic Book Makers by Joe and Jim Simon, published in 1990, are autobiographies, as are two books that appeared a decade later: Man of Two Worlds by Julius Schwartz with Brian M. Thompson and The Amazing World of Carmine Infantino by Carmine Infantino and J. David Spurlock. While all very readable, and interesting to various degrees, the autobiographical form is not the kind of book I’m yearning for. By definition, an autobio can’t provide the kind of objectivity necessary to look at their subject’s life fully and honestly. That isn’t their focus, so I’m not criticizing the form, but merely pointing out that they don’t provide what I want from a biography, and they don’t take the place of such a book. Sometimes, they can be factually suspect. Bob Kane’s Batman and Me is the worst sort of vanity project, virtually worthless as a document of comicbook history, except insofar as it records the version of events that Kane expected us to believe. Closer to the “true bio” profile is Jack Cole and Plastic Man (Chronicle Books, 2001). Art Spiegelman had written an essay titled “Forms Stretched to Their Limits” that appeared in The New Yorker in 1999. He was encouraged to expand and revise it, as the text matter in this book, and what he wrote is intelligent, perceptive, and covers the basics of Cole’s life and tragic suicide. But the prose can’t amount to more than perhaps 15,000 words, hardly sufficient to do justice to one of the greatest writer/artists in the history of the medium. Instead, the book consists mainly of reprints of the man’s work, mostly individual pages and panels. I would also venture an opinion that the book is over-designed by Chip Kidd, but that’s not the point. What there is of Spiegelman’s text is superb, making me regret that he didn’t write much more about the fantastic Mr. Cole. Therefore, my search leads me to the year 2002, where I finally find a “true bio”—in this case, one of spectacular quality and proportions. It’s B. Krigstein (Vol. 1) by Greg Sadowski (Fantagraphics Books), which won both the Eisner and Harvey Awards and deservedly so. This is an example of what a biography can be, when approached with thoroughness, intelligence, and taste—and when the family (in this case, Krigstein’s widow Natalie) cooperates fully. Not every book can have the amount of color artwork offered in it, for not every subject may be judged popular enough to move books at $39.95, but Sadowski’s text would have been fantastic even without so much color, or a deluxe hardcover format with dust jacket. The follow-up volume ought to be fascinating as well. Also in 2002, Vanguard Productions offered Curt Swan: A Life in Comics by Eddy Zeno, a worthy book that’s more a collection of essays and tributes than a true biography. And Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee by Stan Lee and George Mair (Fireside Books) that same year, being yet another autobio, doesn’t obviate the need for a major book on Lee’s life and work. TwoMorrows Publishing gamely entered the bio biz with a spate of fine books about comicbook creators in 2003, covering Kurt

16 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Schaffenberger (Hero Gets Girl), Murphy Anderson, and Dick Giordano, though again, they aren’t true biographies; they’re basically autobiographies, some in text form and some being mainly extended interviews. TwoMorrows’ much more ambitious Against the Grain: Mad Artist Wally Wood, edited by Bhob Stewart, is highly recommended, collecting as it does a series of excellent essays on Wood by his friends, colleagues, and fans. Again, though, not a “true bio.” Where is this all leading? Just this: Sometimes, when you don’t see the kind of books you would like being published, you have to do it yourself. “Put up or shut up!”—right? That’s exactly what I did in 2003, when I wrote and published Words of Wonder: The Life and Times of Otto Binder, which is not only a true biography, but about a writer rather than an artist, in a field where writers don’t often get their due. It sold out a limited print run of 1,500 copies, and was well received—offering encouragement that that others were looking for the same sort of book that I wanted to read. Oddly enough, the other “true bio” that appeared in 2003 was also about a writer. Jordan Raphael and Tom Spurgeon’s Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book (Chicago Review Press) was intelligent, well researched, and well conceived. It might not be the final, ultimate book on Lee, but it’ll do until someone takes on that Herculean task. The next biography showed up on my radar in 2005: Bob Andelman’s Will Eisner: A Spirited Life (M Press Books). It begins with the following disclaimer on a prefatory page: “What you won’t read here is an art critic’s approach to Will Eisner’s work; that credential is not in my résumé. This is not a critique of his brush style or wordsmithing; it is the story of Will Eisner’s life and the way he lived it.” Excuse me, but—a book about Eisner that doesn’t discuss his work? Anecdotes are enjoyable, but without a good look at the man’s creative oeuvre, the book can’t do justice to its subject. Vanguard made a game attempt at providing a biography of the legendary Wally Wood with Wally’s World by Steve Starger and J. David Spurlock (Vanguard Productions, 2006). Ah, another “true bio,” fitting all my criteria. Perhaps a bit padded, and with too many textual/editing errors, it’s still undeniably effective in tracing Wood’s spectacular and tragic career trajectory. Apparently the Eisner Award judges agreed, nominating it for an award that year. Hey, David! How about fixing the line-editing errors if there are additional printings? Two-thousand-eight proved to be a banner year for comic-book biographies, with three such books. First came Kirby: King of Comics by Mark Evanier (Abrams), which helped stoke the need for a bio about Jack. Though this is just a sample of the huge Kirby book that Evanier is preparing, it’s still very informative and jam-packed with wonderful artwork and photos.

Plus, Mark is one of the most engaging prose writers we have in the comics field. Next came Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell (Fantagraphics Books), the yearsin-the-making deluxe book that offered everything known about Ditko’s life and a great deal of incisive analysis of his work. As befitting a high-quality biography of the co-creator of Spider-Man, it sold like gangbusters and was reviewed widely in both fan and mainstream media. Then, just after Halloween, Fantagraphics issued my own Man of Rock: A Biography of Joe Kubert, a 120,000-word book on the amazing career of one of the genuine living legends of the comic-book industry. Writing a book on the work of someone who began working in the field the year Action Comics #1 appeared, and is still at it, proved to be a much more ambitious project that chronicling Otto Binder’s mere forty-year career. But somehow it was finished and I must say, its reception has been gratifying. Yes, 2008 was a year when the “true bio” seemed to be making a claim on the marketplace, as eager readers proved there was a real demand for such books. That gives me hope that there will be more coming. Obviously, economics plays a factor here. There are plenty of people who would make an interesting subject for a book, but are there enough customers for a publisher to be interested? As important as they were, would enough readers line up for books on such comic-book greats as Sheldon Mayer, Mort Weisinger, Wayne Boring, Robert Kanigher, C. C. Beck, or John Buscema? Perhaps not … but one would think there would be a market for a major book—in “true bio” form—on such giants as Stan Lee, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Bob Kane, Bill Gaines, Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Carmine Infantino, Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, Alex Toth, R. Crumb, or even Roy Thomas, Jim Shooter, and Frank Miller. Why don’t we have these books already? Some, perhaps, are held up because the families and heirs have outsized ideas of the amount of money to be made from such books. The truth is, not a lot— but certainly enough to justify publication for the aforementioned superstars. Some are already in the works. There’s Mark Evanier’s massive Kirby bio, and Blake Bell’s book on Bill Everett. I’ve also heard rumors of a book on Jerry Robinson in the pipeline, and I know Roger Hill has been working on a bio of a major talent from the Golden Age and EC eras. I can only offer my best wishes to anyone who tackles such projects, because they are telling the stories of the wonderful folks who created the objects of our enduring fascination. Bring on the “true bios”! We need ’em!! BILL SCHELLY is associate editor of Alter Ego, and has authored numerous books on the history of comic fandom. His Eisner-nominated The Golden Age of Comic Fandom is available at his website (www.billschelly.com), along with others still in print. Bill tells us he’s just now finishing up Founders of Comic Fandom for McFarland, a collection of mini-bios of the original movers and shakers of early comicdom, which should be out some time in late 2010.

COMIC-BOOK CREATOR BIOGRAPHIES Hal Foster by Brian M. Kane (Vanguard Productions, 2001) Jack Cole and Plastic Man by Art Spiegelman and Chip Kidd (Chronicle Books, 2001) Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book by Jordan Raphael and Tom Spurgeon (Chicago Review Press, 2003) Words of Wonder: The Life and times of Otto Binder by Bill Schelly (Hamster Press, 2003) Will Eisner A Spirited Life by Bob Andelman (M Press Books, 2005) Wally’s World by Steve Starger and J. David Spurlock (Vanguard Productions, 2006) Kirby King of Comics by Mark Evanier (Abrams, 2008) Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko by Blake Bell (Fantagraphics Books, 2008) Man of Rock: A Biography of Joe Kubert by Bill Schelly (Fantagraphics Books, 2008)

AUTOBIOGRAPHIES The Comic Book Makers by Joe Simon with Jim Simon (Crestwood/II Publications, 1990)

The Life and Art of Murphy Anderson by Murphy Anderson with R. C. Harvey (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003) Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee by Stan Lee and George Mair (Fireside, 2002) Man of Two Worlds by Julius Schwartz with Brian M. Thomsen (Harper Collins, 2000) Batman and Me by Bob Kane (Eclipse Books, 1989) Brush with Passion by Dave Stevens (Underwood Books, 2008)

INTERVIEW AND HYBRID BOOKS Hero Gets Girl: The Life and Art of Kurt Schaffenberger (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003) Against the Grain: Mad Artist Wallace Wood edited by Bhob Stewart (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003) Dick Giordano: Changing Comics, One Day at a Time by Michael Eury (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003) Curt Swan: A Life in Comics by Eddy Zeno (Vanguard Productions, 2002)

RELATED Tales to Astonish by Ronin Ro (Bloomsbury, 2004) Men of Tomorrow by Gerard Jones (Basic Books, 2004)

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 17

Mark Evanier and Dan Spiegle have a partnership that spans almost forty years. In their time together, the writer and artist have collaborated on such properties as Scooby-Doo, Tarzan, New Teen Titans, and their own creations, Crossfire and Hollywood Superstars. In the early 1980s, Evanier and Spiegle worked on a revival of DC Comics’ Blackhawk that took the aerial-ace title character and his high-flying team back to their roots, setting their adventures during World War II. While the book only lasted a couple of years (from issue #250, cover-dated Oct. 1982, to issue #273, cover-dated Nov. 1984), this run is fondly remember by fans as one of the best handlings of the characters ever. – Dan Johnson DAN JOHNSON: How did you two come to work on Blackhawk? MARK EVANIER: DC had this property that had not been published lately, and the last few times they had tried it, it had not sold too well. Then one day, there was suddenly interest in doing a Blackhawk movie. Steven Spielberg was allegedly interested in it and someone had even mentioned that Dan Aykroyd wanted to play the lead. The folks up at DC said, “We ought to preserve the brand name and get this comic book back out on the stands to remind people that it exists. Maybe that would make this movie happen.” The initial plan had been to put it out as a quarterly with a writer-artist team that DC had under contract— two guys they didn’t want to use on the books they cared about. A couple of people in the office, with Len Wein, I believe, as the ringleader, said, “This is too wonderful a property to do that to. Let’s do justice to Blackhawk.” For about a week, it was going to be written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by Dave Cockrum, but there was this feeling at the office that those two guys were too valuable to waste on this book because, by all their projections, it was not going to sell very well. Marv and Dave were convinced to apply their skills to other projects so Len, who’d been assigned to edit Blackhawk, went looking for another creative team. He called me, and asked, “Who would be great for drawing

Blackhawk and Domino Two and a half decades after his memorable Blackhawk stint ended, illustrator Dan Spiegle continues to revisit the Aerial Ace in beautiful watercolor paintings like this one. Courtesy of Dave Karlen. Visit Dave’s site—davekarlenoriginalart.com— for information about purchasing Spiegle Blackhawk (and other) originals. Blackhawk TM & © DC Comics.

18 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Dan Johnson

conducted April 22, 2009

Blackhawk?” I said, “Dan Spiegle,” Dan being my usual answer to almost any question about who’d be great for any assignment. Len thought this was a brilliant idea, so he called Dan and asked him if he was interested in doing this comic. Dan didn’t even know what Blackhawk was, but he said yes because he heard it had airplanes in it. DAN SPIEGLE: Blackhawk sounded interesting. I liked the World War II theme and it sounded like it would have a lot of action. EVANIER: Lucky for me, Dan asked, “Is there any chance Mark could write it?” Len called me back and said, “Would you like to write it?” I said, “Sure, I’ll write anything Dan draws.” While the book was never a huge seller, it did sell a little better than the company’s projections. Folks in the office also liked it, so for a while there, they let us do the book and DC just left us alone. They changed editors a few times and it didn’t make any difference. I wrote it and Dan drew it. Eventually, they made me editor and again, nothing changed. I just wrote it and sent it to Dan to draw like I always did. Then he sent it back to me and I proofed it and did lettering corrections and such. I always tried to do that on a comic even if I wasn’t the editor. JOHNSON: I was impressed with the various artists who did covers and backup stories on the book [see sidebar for listing of backup stories and artists]. EVANIER: We had Dave Cockrum doing some of the covers, and Howard Chaykin. JOHNSON: Chaykin did those covers at the same time his American Flagg! was a huge hit. How did you come to land him? EVANIER: Chaykin just went to Len one day and said, “I love Blackhawk. If you want me, I’d love to do something on it.” Howard was a huge fan of Dan’s. The first time I took Dan up to the DC offices, Chaykin had just drawn the one backup story he did. I passed Howard in the hallway and I yelled down the hallway, “Hey, Howie! Great job on Blackhawk!” He yelled back, “Hey, Mark! Great script!” I was standing next to Dan, who Howard had never met, and I yelled, “Howie, this is Dan Spiegle!” Chaykin sprinted the length of the hallway to pounce on Dan and gush and tell him how much he loved his artwork. JOHNSON: That same issue also had a backup story by Alex Toth. EVANIER: I was pretty close to Alex at the time. Our friendship went away later, but at the time I was going by to visit him every few weeks. Every time, he’d ask, “Do you have any Spiegle pages with you?” I usually had the original artwork for the latest issue of Blackhawk with me so I’d bring the pages in and Alex would just study them over and over. Alex regarded Dan as a contemporary, not just in age, but also as one who’d worked for a lot of the same companies on the same kind of material, and who had much the same goals. He admired Dan’s work and one day he just asked if he could be part of the book and do one. Dan was our secret weapon. Good artists wanted to be in the same comic. A friend of mine, Ken Steacy, came up to me in San Diego one year and said, “I want to do a Blackhawk story. Dan was telling me about how he had painted insignias on airplanes during the war. Let’s do a story about that.” Well, I know a good idea when I hear it. So I wrote a story, and I don’t think Dan saw it until it was printed, but he was in it, and Ken stuck himself and me in the story as other characters. SPIEGLE: I have the originals of that particular story on the wall. The Navy didn’t allow naked ladies on their planes. We could paint the squadron insignias, which might be like a flying bomb or something like that. I did the squadron insignias for all the squadrons

Beginnings: Cartoon comics scripts for Disney and Gold Key, and an apprenticeship under Jack Kirby (circa 1969–1970)

Milestones: Comics: Kirby’s Fourth World titles (as an assistant) / Welcome Back, Kotter / Groo the Wanderer / Blackhawk / DNAgents / Crossfire / Tarzan / Hollywood Superstars / The Mighty Magnor / Fanboy Animation and Live-Action TV: Welcome Back, Kotter / Garfield and Friends / Plastic Man / Thundarr the Barbarian / Superman / Richie Rich / Dungeons & Dragons / That’s Incredible!

Current Projects: POV Online / more Groo / a new Garfield cartoon series

Cyberspace: www.povonline.com

Mark evanier

Beginnings: Hopalong Cassidy comic strip (1949)

Milestones: Maverick / Space Family Robinson / Magnus: Robot Fighter / Tarzan / Brothers of the Spear / Korak, Son of Tarzan / Scooby-Doo / The Unknown Solider / “Nemesis” (backup in DC’s The Brave and the Bold) / Blackhawk / Crossfire / Hollywood Superstars / Indiana Jones: Thunder in the Orient / Indiana Jones and the Spear of Destiny / Terry and the Pirates comic strip

Works in Progress: Selling original artwork and commissions

Cyberspace: www.davekarlenoriginalart.com

Dan Spiegle

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 19

BLACKHAWK’S SUPPORT TEAM Beginning in Blackhawk #254 (Jan.1983), Mark Evanier started a backup feature called “Blackhawk Detached Service Diary.” The feature not only gave Evanier a chance to spotlight the individual Blackhawks in solo adventures, but it also gave an impressive number of talented guest artists the opportunity to illustrate comicdom’s most legendary high-flyers. What follows is a checklist of those Blackhawk stories and the artists who made this title one of the best-illustrated (and most underrated) classics of the early 1980s. Blackhawk #254 (Jan. 1983) • “The Crazy House”: Guest artist Dave Cockrum (pencils and inks) Blackhawk #255 (Feb. 1983) • “Part-Time Blackhawk”: Guest artist Dave Cockrum (pencils and inks) Blackhawk #257 (Apr. 1983) • “They Also Serve”: Guest artist John Severin (pencils and inks) Blackhawk #259 (June 1983) • “The Long Road Runs Both Ways”: Guest artist Bill Ziegler (pencils and inks) Blackhawk #260 (July 1983) • “The One That Got Away”: Guest artist Howard Chaykin (pencils and inks) • “The Funny Man”: Guest artist Dick Rockwell (pencils and inks) • “Barnacle Bill”: Guest artists Alex Toth (pencils) and Frank Giacoia (inks)

Blackhawk #265 (Dec. 1983) • “The Big Dealer”: Guest artist Pat Boyette (pencils and inks) Blackhawk #266 (Jan. 1984) • “Make ’Em Laugh!”: Guest artists Don Newton (pencils) and Dennis Jensen (inks) Blackhawk #267 (Feb. 1984) • “All the Comforts of War”: Guest artists Mike Sekowsky (pencils) and Rick Hoberg (inks) Blackhawk #268 (Mar. 1984) • “The Little War”: Guest artist Doug Wildey (pencils and inks) • “The Finer Things”: Guest artists Richard Howell (pencils) and Frank Giacoia (inks) Blackhawk #271 (July 1984) • “The Little Town of Resistance”: Guest artist Joe Staton (pencils and inks) Blackhawk #272 (Sept. 1984) • “The Artist”: Guest artist Ken Steacy (pencils and inks) Blackhawk #273 (Nov. 1984) • “Deserter”: Guest artist Mike Sekowsky (pencils) and Richard Howell (inks) Also, during Evanier and Spiegle’s Blackhawk run, the squad teamed up with Superman in DC Comics Presents #69 (May 1984), “Back to World War II,” written by Mark Evanier, with artists Irv Novick (pencils) and Dennis Jensen (inks).

Ace Artists Fly High

(top) Howard Chaykin’s original cover art to Blackhawk #259 (June 1983), courtesy of Anthony Snyder. (bottom) Dave Cockrum’s signed original art Blackhawk #264 (Nov. 1983) page 3 of his backup story from • “The Business of War”: Blackhawk #254 (Jan. 1983), Guest artists Will Meigniot (pencils) courtesy of Michael Dunne. and Dennis Jensen (inks) TM & © DC Comics.

20 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Peril in Paris A monster terrorizes the Eiffel Tower in this Spiegle-drawn page from Blackhawk #257 (Apr. 1983). Signed by the artist. Courtesy of Dave Karlen. TM & © DC Comics.

that came into our base. I didn’t actually paint them on the planes, but word has got around that I did. I guess it is just easier to say I painted on the planes. JOHNSON: Since you were in World War II, Dan, and around airplanes, did you ever share your wartime experiences with Mark to be incorporated into Blackhawk? SPIEGLE: No, not really. I was just on the fringe, in a carrier aircraft service unit. We would service all the aircraft that came off the carriers on their way to the South Pacific. I was an aviation ordinance man and I loaded the bombs and the guns and cleaned the guns. I was involved quite a bit with aircrafts, and I enjoyed being around them, but I was never in any of the fighting. When the squadrons would come in, they would stay about two weeks at our base. They would practice gunnery and bombing, and a lot of the radiomen and the gunners in the back seats would become bored with that. They didn’t want to fly, so we would have a chance to fly in their place just for fun. I got to go up quite a few times for target practice. JOHNSON: What type of research did you do to prepare for Blackhawk, Dan? SPIEGLE: I collected a lot of books on aircrafts and the military in World War II. I had always been interested in that because I was involved in it. I already had books on the technical aspects of military hardware. JOHNSON: Getting back to the guest artists that worked on Blackhawk, the book also had a backup story by Doug Wildey. EVANIER: I think it ran as a lead in an “all short story” issue. Doug called me one day and said, “I got no work this week. You got anything?” That was how we got him. We had an interesting situation doing Blackhawk because during that period, those little seven- or eightpage stories we did were the only ones being done at DC that were less than book-length. There were no other short stories being done anywhere in the company. Several times, some editor at DC would call me and say in a panicked voice, “I have an artist who needs something to draw. The writer hasn’t finished the script for the next issue yet and I need a little job to tide the artist over until the script comes in.” The alternative would have been to give the artist a whole book-length story of something else to draw and the editor didn’t want to do that. So they’d ask me to come up with a short story. That’s how we got a story out of Don Newton. He was drawing Batman at the time, but the next script wasn’t quite ready. I think I actually phoned Don and dictated the first page of his script so he could get to work on it. We should mention another member of our team. We had a fabulous letterer that did almost every story Dan drew and lettered stories by a few by the other artists. SPIEGLE: I seem to recall her. I think her name was Carrie Spiegle. EVANIER: Yes, where did you find her? SPIEGLE: Under the bed. She used to tear into my studio and say, “Dad! Kip hit me again!” That’s my favorite letterer, and my daughter. Carrie lettered not only for Mark and I, but for a few other cartoonists on the West Coast at that time. She enjoyed lettering and it was a

pretty good living for her at that time. Carrie was young and she needed a job, so [Blackhawk] worked out fine. Those were pretty good times and I really missed her when she left the business. Carrie got married and had a couple of kids. She is now a property appraiser in Santa Barbara and has a very good business there. EVANIER: The last year or so of our run, the book was colored by Jerry Serpe. Initially, we had some problems with the coloring. DC was having some printing problems at the time and there were some odd ideas about how comics should be colored. Dan called me a couple of times to say how unhappy he was with it, so we tried different people out until we finally settled on Jerry. He was an old-time DC colorist and he’d been their lead colorist in the old days. He understood Dan’s artwork very well and everyone was happy with his work. JOHNSON: When the decision was made revive Blackhawk, was the overall consensus that the book had to be set in World War II? [In the 1960s, Blackhawk had been updated to then-contemporary times.] Comics Go to War Issue

TM & © DC Comics.

•

BACK ISSUE • 21

More Spiegle Spellbinders (left) The War Wheel rolls into town on page 13 of Blackhawk #261 (Aug. 1983), while (right) Domino II has her heart set on (killing) Blackhawk on page 8 from issue #272. Art drawn and autographed by Dan Spiegle. Courtesy of Dave Karlen. TM & © DC Comics.

EVANIER: Yeah, as far as I could see, it was unanimous. No one wanted to update it. Everyone wanted to do it period. Dick Giordano was one of the main people in charge, and he was an enormous fan of the 1940s Blackhawk, as was Len Wein. Their attitude was, “Let’s go back to the roots and do something faithful.” I felt a little relief when they told me that’s how they wanted to do it, and there was also a certain lack of stage fright because given some of what had gone before, it would be very hard for me to do the worst Blackhawk comics ever. We might not do a good book, but not a lot of people were going to say, “How could someone ruin Blackhawk like that?” I immersed myself in reading the better old stories and it was also rather fun and challenging. I’d never thought I would ever get the chance to write a war comic. They were dying out and the few that were around seemed to pretty much be the providence of a couple of writers who had a lock on the era. JOHNSON: Blackhawk was the last war book DC added to its roster during this period. By the mid-1980s, DC started phasing out that genre. 22 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

EVANIER: One of the things that ultimately did those books in was that DC was then deriving an awful lot of its income by selling a German publisher the reprint rights to everything they published. At that point, Germany was a huge market which paid very well for reprint rights. A lot of the DC books were in the black only because of the sales to Germany, and for some reason, which I can’t quite understand, Germans didn’t want to buy the reprint rights to a book like Blackhawk that was all about killing Germans. JOHNSON: I enjoyed the episodic nature of Blackhawk. You both did some terrific story arcs and introduced a variety of supporting characters in addition to the Blackhawks. EVANIER: One of the problems with Blackhawk was it had this huge cast of characters. If you look back at some of the old stories, there were periods when some of these guys were just spear-carriers. You try to work to an artist’s strength, and Dan draws very real people with real expressions. SPIEGLE: Mark had the most influence [in giving the characters personality] because he described them all so well. The reason why I could never work for Marvel was because of the way they had of writing where they just gave you a rough outline and you [as the artist] are supposed to come up with the action and they bring in the dialogue later. How can I draw a person’s expression if I don’t know what they will be saying? I always had to work with a full script, and that is where Mark and I clicked so well. I loved his scripts; the descriptions made it easy to draw. You understood his characters very well by the time you read the rest of the script. [Also,] what really bugged me about a lot of comics, after a while, was that you couldn’t really tell which character was which, and I like to really establish the characters so the reader can recognize them. That’s just sort of a natural tendency with me. I spent quite a bit of time on the characters themselves.

JOHNSON: Dan, were there ever any real-life people that you based any characters on? I ask because I read one article where the writer said that as the book went along, the character of Blackhawk started looking more and more like Mark Evanier. SPIEGLE: [laughs] I never really thought of it that way. No, I would just establish the character and refine them as the series went on. I was just mainly trying to make them recognizable, and that was it. JOHNSON: What finally prompted DC to cancel Blackhawk? EVANIER: I fought an ongoing battle with DC about publicity throughout the course of the book’s run. They were not, I thought, promoting the book much, if at all. I went to a distributors’ convention during this time and two or three dealers came up to me and said, “I love Blackhawk. Why is DC trying to talk me out of buying it?” Well, that’s not exactly what was going on. A couple of folks then on DC’s sales team were saying to dealers, “No, don’t order more of those. Order more copies of Teen Titans instead. They’ll do better in your store.” Well, maybe they would, but it made it hard to keep our spirits up about doing the comic. There were a number of omissions about the book in the press releases from the company. DC would put out a solicitation each month announcing what would be in upcoming issues and month after month, the listing for Blackhawk said, “No information available at press time.” I had gotten that information in on time, but somebody had lost it or neglected to put it in. I decided that if that was what they were saying about the book, I might as well use it, so I did a story

called “No Information Available at Press Time” [in Blackhawk #273], which got some people very mad at me, but it made the point. The book was selling above expectations but it was still a low seller. Then DC had to raise the price of all their books. Dick Giordano called me up and said, “I think we’re going to have to cut Blackhawk to bimonthly. We don’t have strong foreign sales on the comic, and this new price increase will probably take us below the break-even point on it.” At that point I had been thinking about doing the Crossfire comic for Eclipse. Will Meugniot and I had introduced the character in DNAgents with Dan’s participation and it seemed to be a separate comic. I called Dan up and said, “Would you rather do Crossfire as a monthly book or Blackhawk as a bimonthly book?” We agreed on Crossfire, so I called Dick back up and said, “Dan and I would like to just leave when the comic goes bimonthly. We’ve had our fun with Blackhawk, let somebody else play with it for a while.” SPIEGLE: I had so much work at the time, it really didn’t matter what I was doing. I did enjoy the stories and hated to give up Blackhawk for that reason, but we were going on to Crossfire and I was so busy, I really didn’t have time to reflect on [our departure]. EVANIER: As it turned out, DC assigned another writer and artist to take over Blackhawk and they did a few issues that were never published [see the “Greatest Stories Never Told” feature following]. The company decided to end that run with our issues. By that point, we were happily working on Crossfire, which was one of the happiest times I’ve had in comics. But working on Blackhawk—or anything with Dan—has always been a joy.

Comics Go to War Issue

Oh, the Humanity! The Blackhawks take down a Nazi dirigible in this powerful painting by Dan Spiegle. Courtesy of Dave Karlen. TM & © DC Comics.

TM & © DC Comics.

•

BACK ISSUE • 23

While conducting the Blackhawk “Pro2Pro” for this issue, I learned from Mark Evanier that DC had intended to let Blackhawk and his men continue fighting the good fight after he and Dan Spiegle completed their run. What follows is the story of a mid-1980s Blackhawk miniseries that came close to liftoff but didn’t quite clear the runway. The genesis of this four-issue miniseries originated from a most unique source, the creator of Blackhawk himself. “Will Eisner was a pretty good teacher when he wanted to be,” recalls William DuBay, the writer of the aborted Blackhawk miniseries. (DuBay worked with Eisner at Warren Publications, where 16 issues of The Spirit were produced in the mid-1970s.) “He was also friend, mentor, and godfather to everyone on staff during his four-year Spirit run. [Will told me] the best stories are those about that one most important moment in your protagonist’s life.” While working with Eisner, DuBay also learned about the original plans that the legendary comics creator had for the avenging aviator. “[Will said that] commercially, there will always be a place for heroic icons—but Blackhawk, with that one, they thought about doing something special,” explains DuBay. “Will said that when they came up with [the original Blackhawk concept], Hitler was already marching across Europe. They all knew that America was building up, not just to supply the Allies, but to get into the war. They all knew that when that happened, it’d be over quickly. [When Quality Comics, Blackhawk’s original publisher, needed] a lead series for Military Comics, Eisner and his crew figured they would time the ending [of the Blackhawk series] to coincide with the end of the war. [He thought the end of the war was] about a year or so away, like everyone else figured. Will saw a story where these heroes—because that’s what they are, average men,

Following Eisner’s Lead Writer Bill DuBay and penciler Carmine Infantino (inked by Dennis Jensen) planned to realize Blackhawk creator Will Eisner’s original series’ ending for the Blackhawk saga, but their miniseries was scuttled before ever seeing print. Never-before-published artwork from the collection of Michael Dunne. TM & © DC Comics.

24 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Dan Johnson

UNPUBLISHED BLACKHAWK PAGES

Infantino in Action (top left and right) Pages 19 and 20 of the unpublished Blackhawk miniseries issue #2 reveal artist Carmine Infantino’s aptitude for exciting aerial sequences. (bottom left) Infantino’s layouts, (bottom right) finished by Jensen. Courtesy of Mike Dunne. TM & © DC Comics.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 25

WWII Guest Stars (left) Winston Churchill and (right) Adolf Hitler appearances added realism to the aborted project. Blackhawk miniseries #2, page 22, and #3, page 21, respectively, by Infantino and Jensen. Courtesy of Mike Dunne. TM & © DC Comics.

who do what they set out to do—end the war in the most direct manner possible: kill Hitler and crush Third Reich morale. Twelve issues. End of story. Comic books’ first year-long graphic epic.” DuBay left Warren in 1983 and approached DC Comics for work. Dick Giordano offered him Thriller and Blackhawk. When he got Blackhawk, DuBay naturally thought of the story that Eisner had told him. “Will’s story stayed with me for years,” says DuBay. “I jumped on his idea. I called him, asked permission to use and embellish [his story], and received his blessing. He also said he was going to be looking over my shoulder every step of the way. And, as if that wasn’t sufficiently intimidating, he told me that I had to make sure that the artists we chose were as passionate about the project as I. In DC’s entire stable of stars, there was only one, I knew, who would give me career-best work while honoring, but not being intimidated by, the characters’ creator. That was Carmine Infantino.” Not too long after going to DC, DuBay worked on the short-lived Red Circle Comics line from Archie Comics. There he worked with Infantino for the first time on a revival of the Comet. The two men clicked immediately. “Carmine, as passionate and respectful of classic comic characters as I, jumped at the chance to work on the Blackhawk project,” says DuBay. “And, as it progressed, you could see that passion in every panel. More, Dennis Jensen captured that flavor with flair in his inks.”

26 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Infantino was more than happy to sign on for Blackhawk with DuBay. “Bill was the best editor I ever worked with,” says Infantino. “Honest to God, he was my favorite, and he’s a genius as a writer.” So what was it that scuttled the Blackhawk miniseries? Believe it or not, it was the climax that cut the project short after three issues had been completed. “The project wasn’t assigned an editor until the fourth issue. Dick Giordano said that Carmine and I ‘intimidated his editors,’” says DuBay. “He was finally able to find an editor, however, who ‘refused to be intimidated.’ That was Karen Berger. Not only wasn’t she intimidated, but she seemed to have no qualms about voicing her dislike for the story’s ending. I remember her saying that she couldn’t publish the story because ‘everyone knows Hitler didn’t die that way.’ I argued that it was just a comic book, wherein all things are possible. I made a case for the fact that it was Will Eisner’s idea— something he’d originally wanted to do. And I argued that one of Hitler’s many well known doubles could have stepped in and finished the war out in his stead. All beseeching fell on deaf ears, however, and the project was shelved.” “What’s interesting about that is that DC has let so much [expletive material] go through and they wouldn’t let [the killing of Hitler] go through,” says Infantino about the terminated project. “That doesn’t make sense. It’s crazy.”

John Wells

As Bob Rozakis recalls, Denny O’Neil used to joke that there was a sub-imprint called “DC-Misses-the-Boat Comics.” Born in an editorial meeting when DC launched the Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter and Karate Kid titles long after the martial-arts craze had peaked, the phrase took on a life of its own and was invoked many times in the years ahead. Case in point: the Flash TV Special comic that wasn’t published until the series it was based on had been canceled.

JENETTE KAHN TUNES IN When she arrived at DC in early 1976, new publisher Jenette Kahn quickly began to wonder why there was a Super Friends cartoon but no comic book. Or why Shazam!, despite a live-action Saturday morning series of its own, had seen its sales drop to a degree that it was reduced to a quarterly reprint comic. In short order, the groundwork was laid for a line of “DC TV Comics” that included Welcome Back, Kotter; Isis; the Super Friends comic that Kahn had wondered about; and a revamped Shazam! title that creatively mirrored the TV series continuity. And then Kahn turned her attention to Wonder Woman. Quite unexpectedly, the Amazon Princess created by William Moulton Marston in 1941 had become a phenomenon again, thanks in large part to one of the greatest bits of casting in the history of jenette kahn comics-based movies. As Wonder Woman and her bespectacled alter ego Diana Prince, Lynda Carter stood virtually alone amidst a troupe of comedic actors in ABC’s The New Original Wonder Woman TV movie in playing things straight.

Blast From the Past Echoing the success of TV’s World War II-based Wonder Woman series, DC Comics followed suit by having its WW title star its Earth-Two version of the heroine in new Nazi-busting adventures. Cover to Wonder Woman #229 (Mar. 1977) by José Luis García-López and Vince Colletta. TM & © DC Comics.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 27

That integrity of character was coupled with an infectious theme song by Charles Fox and a surprising faithfulness to the source material. Where a 1974 TV movie starring Cathy Lee Crosby did little more than use the name of Wonder Woman, this new film (first aired on November 7, 1975) borrowed liberally from the first two Wonder Woman stories in All Star Comics #8 and Sensation Comics #1. Significantly, it also retained the general time period of those early stories, taking place in the summer of 1942. After two follow-up episodes in April proved the movie was no fluke, ABC commissioned 11 episodes to air on an irregular basis beginning on October 13, 1976. The next issue of Wonder Woman to be published after that episode, Jenette Kahn declared to the book’s new editor Denny O’Neil, needed to reflect the TV show. So the comic’s regular scripter Marty Pasko had to ditch the already-plotted WW/Cheetah story intended for Wonder Woman #228 (Feb. 1977) and come up with a new one that fulfilled management’s directive—in addition to having his deadline for #229 moved up a month by virtue of the comic’s promotion from six times a year to monthly. Oh, and there was also going to be a Wonder Woman story in each issue of the expanded World’s Finest Comics that began in January of 1977.

the red-jacketed villain arrived instead in 1976 on the other-dimensional Earth-One long enough to get on the bad side of that world’s Wonder Woman, the one whose adventures fans had been following up to that point. The Panzer’s craft was set to automatically return to its point of origin in an hour’s time so both he and the Amazing Amazon wound up back in 1943. That’s when the fun began. Well-versed on parallel worlds from her time in the Justice League, the latter-day Wonder Woman figured out very quickly where she was. The Earth-Two WW was understandably skeptical, though, trading a punch or two before her magic lasso confirmed that her twin’s outrageous story was true. Apologies were made, Earth-One’s Diana used the time-ship to go home, and Earth-Two’s heroine got back to the business of stopping bullets cold and making the Axis fold. As the conclusion of the story in #229 revealed, that wasn’t as easy as it might have seemed. On Paradise Island, Diana was gently taken to task by her mother for having been defeated by the Red Panzer. The problem, Queen Hippolyte explained, was in her newfound assurance that the Nazi menace would be defeated. Subconsciously, she continued, “your knowledge of the future has dulled the sharp edge of your resolve.” Encircled by the magic lasso, Wonder Woman was commanded by her mother to forget everything she knew about the future. MARTY PASKO FINE TUNES The supporting cast members seen on TV Pasko’s elegant solution to the mandate was to shift marty pasko made their first appearances in #229 and became the series back to World War II, setting the action indicative of something, as Pasko would later on Earth-Two, a parallel world that DC had write in the Amazing World of DC Comics #15 declared to be the home of many of the heroes it published during (Aug. 1977), that “a certain faction of the letter-writing the 1940s. And rather than jolt regular readers, he decided to segue readership hasn’t stopped carping [about] since.” The details didn’t into the new status quo via a transitional issue. match the stories actually published in the 1940s. Alerted to Germany’s eventual defeat by way of a time scanner, a Holliday College student Etta Candy, for instance, now worked in Nazi scientist-turned-armored-villain declared himself the Red Panzer the War Department as General Blankenship’s secretary. In his scripts, and created a time-ship to leap a year into the future and change at least, Pasko dodged that particular point by never using her last history. Overshooting his destination of the June 1944 D-Day invasion, name, implying this was a different Etta. Blankenship himself was created exclusively for the TV show. In the 1940s (and beyond), Steve and Diana took their orders from General Darnell. Pasko’s rationalization was that Steve reported to two superiors and readers just hadn’t seen Darnell. Diana Prince had been a lieutenant as early as Sensation Comics #14 but she was a yeoman here. Pasko suggested that Diana began as a yeoman and these stories chronologically preceded the Golden Age accounts. Pasko’s explanation for the blond Steve Trevor now having brown hair (like Lyle Waggoner, the

28 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Wonder Womania DC’s self-produced fanzine, The Amazing World of DC Comics, spotlighted the TV-starring Amazon Princess in its 15th issue (Aug. 1977). Cover art by Mike Nasser. TM & © DC Comics.

actor who played him) was, in his words, “the most absurd of all—Steve’s hair is of a ‘dirty blond’ shade that looks either dark or pale depending on how the light catches it.” One presumes there was a reverse explanation for Hippolyte, who had blonde hair now but had black tresses during the Golden Age. A bigger bone of contention was the fact that the comic had moved to the 1940s at all. In 1974, Julius Schwartz had agreed to a two-year plan to revitalize the struggling Wonder Woman comic. It began with a series of stories narrated by members of the Justice League of America (#212–222) and then, with Pasko in place as regular series writer, saw genuine forward momentum in the strip. [Editor’s note: The “Twelve Trials of Wonder Woman,” involving her return to the JLA, will be examined in BACK ISSUE #41.] Moving away from the eternal triangle parallels to Superman, Diana Prince was now an attractive woman in her own right who dealt with contemporary cases for the United Nations. Meanwhile, a literally resurrected Steve Trevor (sporting a new name and hair dyed black) knew her secret identity (#223–227). It seemed to have fulfilled Schwartz’s mandate handily and more than a few readers expressed their displeasure over the relaunch being stopped in its tracks. “I fail to see why just the picture of Wonder Woman on the cover would fail to attract the attention of Lynda Carter-watchers,” Carol Strickland wrote in issue #235’s letter column, “even if that Wonder Woman was not in a World War II situation. It is the costume, the character, that is the selling point.” It was an argument that would persist for the duration of the World War II run. While the Earth-One Diana continued to appear in team books like Justice League of America, the prospect of actually featuring her in the World’s Finest solo strip was “considered unwise,” according to #232’s text page, “as it would probably confuse the new reader.” Instead, the initial World’s Finest tales were stand-alone fare penned by Denny O’Neil (#244) and Gerry Conway (#245), the latter featuring the first—and last— appearance of a costumed Nazi called the Iron Claw. In the main comic, Pasko penned a different take on his Wonder Woman/Cheetah conflict, notable for the distinctive spotted word balloons used by the villainess. Issue #230 “was done pencils-first,” issue #234’s letters column explained, “drawn from Marty’s breakdowns. Marty dialogued the story after it was drawn. The speecheffect was designed by Marty and masterfully executed by crack letterer and cartoonist John Workman.”

ALL THIS AND WORLD WAR, TOO The World War II reboot finally began to find its footing with a two-parter in issues #231–232 wherein a revived space-goddess of the Egyptians named Osira had magnanimously ended the World War, albeit by eliminating free will. And to make things even better, Osira identified the now-ensorcelled Steve Trevor as her resurrected mate and proclaimed that they’d be “the loving overlords of Earth.” The cherry on this sundae was the presence

of five brainwashed members of the Justice Society, only too happy to defend Osira from Wonder Woman. The story was Pasko’s series farewell, working from a plot by future author and screenwriter Alan Brennert. “In 1976 I was attending college in California, working part-time at Richard Kyle’s bookstore in Long Beach, writing short stories for science-fiction magazines and anthologies, and generally struggling to make ends meet,” Brennert recalls. “Marty Pasko (with whom I had published a comics fanzine, Fantazine, in 1970-71, and who was one of my closest friends) kindly wanted to throw some money my way by offering to let me plot a comic-book story that he would then script.” That plot, interestingly enough, was first conceived as a Superman story. “It was my idea to use the JSA, of course,” Brennert continues. “I’d loved the Justice Society ever since they’d been revived by Julie Schwartz in the Silver Age, and the ending of Part One—in which the JSAers are trapped in glass pyramids—was a conscious nod to the glass prisons in which Vandal Savage had the JSA imprisoned in Flash #137, ‘Vengeance of the Immortal Villain.’ The choice of JSAers was dictated by Paul Levitz, who told us we could only use members who weren’t currently being featured in All-Star Comics. In short, we got the second-stringers, though I was happy to use Starman because I’d always loved his costume and his, uh, rod.” Comics Go to War Issue

TM & © DC Comics.

•

BACK ISSUE • 29

In a letter to Brennert dated October 12, 1976, Pasko reported Denny O’Neil’s concern that the space-god angle paralleled a plot he was editing for Isis. O’Neil ingeniously suggested that Pasko simply tie the two stories together (with a footnote underscoring the point in Isis #5) by explaining that the aliens had all come from the same planet before being split up in a catastrophic incident. Pasko’s letter also explained the artistic shake-up on Wonder Woman that took place on the title at the same time. Jose Delbo had gerry conway begun penciling the title effective with #222 (joined by inker/art director Vince Colletta in #223), but was abruptly replaced following #230 and the first World’s Finest story. The reason, Pasko explains, was that Jenette Kahn felt he was “ill-suited for so ‘important’ a property.” Veteran artist Bob Brown stepped in as Delbo’s replacement on #231 but immediately had to bow out due to complications from leukemia. He died on January 29, 1977, two weeks before the issue went on sale. The series became an artistic revolving door through which Mike Nasser (Wonder Woman #232), Jim Sherman (World’s Finest Comics #245), Don Heck (WW #233–234 and WFC #246–247), and Mike Vosburg (WFC #248–249) all passed. Some of the pages, along with Gray Morrow’s cover of the Amazing Amazon in the maw of a sea monster (#233) and Nasser’s cover for Amazing World of DC Comics #15, were quite striking, but Jose Delbo got the last laugh. He returned as penciler with #235 and, save for the odd issue here and there (such as #241’s Joe Staton/ TM & © DC Comics. Dick Giordano fill-in), remained until #286 in 1981. On the scripting side, Gerry Conway took over Wonder Woman with #233. “I’d read some of her early-’60s adventures, written and drawn by Kanigher and

Crises on Earth-Two (left) The Justice Society guest-starred in Wonder Woman #231 (May 1977, cover by Mike Netzer, a.k.a. Nasser, and Vince Colletta), while (right) #234 (Aug. 1977, cover by José Luis García-López and Colletta) pitted the heroine against Nazis and a new supervillain. TM & © DC Comics.

30 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Andru/Esposito, and liked them well enough for what they were, but I was never a fan,” he recalls. “I probably liked her best during her JLA run under Gardner Fox. “Honestly,” Conway adds, “until the last decade or so (particularly since Alex Ross did Kingdom Come) it was always my impression that Wonder Woman was an afterthought at DC. No one seemed quite sure how to write the character, one reason she went through so many iterations in the early ‘70s, from mod Modesty Blaise/Diana Rigg secret agent/adventuress/crime fighter, to modern Amazon, to World War II icon. We all had a handle on Superman and Batman, but no one had a clear idea about how to approach Wonder Woman. Following in the path of the TV show at least gave us a direction that promised some popularity. Plus, speaking for myself, I liked Wonder Woman as a ‘40s superheroine. She seemed to fit the era in the same way Captain America did at Marvel.” Conway’s run was distinguished by its addition of running subplots. Of particular note was his characterization of Diana as more passionate and hot-headed when it came to the injustices of “Man’s World,” typified by her slow burn in #235 over the hypocrisy of an American woman’s benign discrimination against Jewish orphans. “I felt that Wonder Woman, like Superman, would have an outsider’s point of view toward society,” Conway observes. “Coming from the perfect, egalitarian world of the Amazons (where, in spite of the royal hierarchy, all women were treated as equal and worthy in their own right), she would be particularly offended by the small-mindedness and sexism of America (as it was in the 1940s especially). Given her unquestioned authority at home, as a dynastic princess, she would naturally feel that her view was essentially correct and proper, and she’d react with surprise, dismay, and contempt toward the unfairness and injustice she encountered in ‘Man’s World.’”

ROGUES’ GALLERY The next several issues saw a burst of new supervillains coupled with 1940s classics like the Duke of Deception (WW #239–240) and Doctor Psycho (WW #248–249). Seeking a break from the unrelenting Nazi villains, Conway also created the shape-shifting Kung, a Japanese assassin who made an ill-fated attempt on General MacArthur’s life in WW #237–238. (Issue #237 footnoted a non-existent story in “the latest World’s Finest” indicating that Wonder Woman had just fought Golden Age Japanese villainess Doctor Poison, but no one recalls why it never appeared.) Baron Blitzkrieg (WFC #246–247), in particular, was an archetypal Nazi übermensch on the order of Captain Nazi. Conway returned to the character (and killed him off) in his Superman/WW tabloid and intended to expand on his origin in 1978’s Steel #6 had the title not been canceled an issue earlier. Roy Thomas later recycled those unpublished pages in the World War II-based All-Star Squadron #7–8 and made good use of the Baron throughout that series. “I enjoyed World War II-based villains in general, and thought it would be fun to create one of my own,” Conway recalls. “Somewhere along the line the alliterative name ‘Baron Blitzkrieg’ popped up and I just loved how it sounded. I’m pretty sure I intended him as a tribute to Red Skull and Baron Zemo in the Captain America stories.” More mysterious was a brute named Armageddon, a Nazi mastermind with spikes on his shoulders, an axe in his hand, and a swastika over his heart (#234–236). His face entirely concealed by a mask, Armageddon’s true identity is something that no can recall at this late date. Some fans, however, speculated that he might have been recurring nemesis Colonel Hammond Belushi, who viewed Wonder Woman as an obstruction to the war effort, if not an outright traitor (#236, 238–240). “I’m pretty sure he was patterned after General Ross in the Hulk series as your archetypical military authoritarian nitwit,” Conway says. “As a child of the ‘60s, I didn’t have much confidence in military figures, and during the paranoid ‘70s it made sense to play an authority figure as potentially evil.” The Wonder Woman-as-traitor detail, fueled by the Duke of Deception’s illusions, climaxed in #240, where she proved her loyalty through the very convenient arrival of a costumed Nazi calling himself Siegfried the Speedster. Not long after Diana had been seen palling around with the Flash. Ahem. Later, Roy Thomas used Siegfried’s costume for a baddie called Zyklon (All-Star Squadron #45), retroactively making the Flash’s impersonation a bit less blatant. Though there was no particular edict that anyone recalls, individual Justice Society members continued to pop up throughout the run with subsequent guest-shots by Dr. Mid-Nite (WW #235–236), the Sandman and Sandy (#238), the Flash (#239–240), the Spectre (#241 and, with Dr. Fate, #242), and the whole team (#243). Even war heroes like Mlle. Marie (WFC #247) and Sgt. Rock (WFC #248–249) popped up. “Just having fun,” Gerry declares, “and trying to pump up sales.”

Conway’s most satisfying work with the character in that period was also among his last. He penned “Superman vs. Wonder Woman,” a 72-page opus that found the Man of Steel and the Amazing Amazon at odds over the development of the atomic bomb and ending with Franklin Roosevelt’s promise never to use it as long as he was President (All-New Collectors’ Edition #C-54, 1978). Published in DC’s tabloid format, the spectacular pencils of José Luis García-López took full advantage of the inherent widescreen possibilities. “The guy is unparalleled,” Conway agrees. “DC at the time was exploring new formats for comics,” Gerry continues, “and after the success of the Superman/Spider-Man team-up, we tried to make the large-format book a regular feature. Unfortunately, the format never really caught on in an, ahem, big way. I loved the idea of a large-format Superman/Wonder Woman story, especially one set in World War II (or Earth-Two as we called it then). All I really recall about that was how annoyed Roy Thomas was with my revisionist notion that FDR probably wouldn’t have dropped the atom bomb. (I wasn’t making a serious point, just having a little fun with history. Roy, a Missourian with a fanatic devotion to Harry Truman, was not amused.)” Along with Baron Blitzkrieg, the tabloid also featured a Japanese counterpart dubbed the Samurai who returned in Conway’s final issue of Wonder Woman (#241) for a moment of redemption. Left unresolved was a subplot that found Etta Candy engaged to sinister French soldier Pierre Marchand. “I’m going to check out the lieutenant tomorrow at Allied Intelligence,” Diana Prince declared in #241, but tomorrow never came.

Why Can’t We Be Friends? Earth-Two’s Wonder Woman and Superman tangled in All-New Collectors’ Edition #C-54. At right is detail from the García-Lópezdrawn back cover, with the front cover in the inset. TM & © DC Comics.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 31

WONDER WOMAN GOES BACK TO THE FUTURE Back in TV Land, the Wonder Woman series had switched networks and time periods. When CBS aired The Return of Wonder Woman on September 16, 1977, it was set squarely in the present day, as opposed to that month’s comic books, where Diana was rescuing MacArthur from Kung and fighting alongside Easy Company in Europe. That’s right, DC had missed the boat again. By this point, Larry Hama had picked up the editorial chores (effective with WW #237) as part of a package of titles. “My input was in the visual end,” Hama notes. “I did layouts for most of the covers myself.” The writing was on the wall as far as the World War II era went. With Conway’s departure for the new Firestorm and Steel titles, incoming writer Jack C. Harris stepped up to offer a mammoth tribute to both the previous year’s worth of stories and the Amazing Amazon shortly before Christmas of 1977. The Wonder Woman Spectacular (really DC Special Series #9) told a multi-layered 64-page story that found the war god Mars reaching new heights of power through a cosmic disc worn by an unknown pawn on Earth even as the goddesses Aphrodite and Athena struggled back in battles paralleled in Olympus, Paradise Island, and “Man’s World.” Added to the mix were representative villains from the real 1940s (Baroness Von Gunther) and the latter-day imitation (the Red Panzer), to say nothing of Adolf Hitler himself. Hama adds that he “came up with some of the visual storytelling concepts like the splitting up of the art in the [Spectacular] so that Steve Ditko did the segments with the gods, and Russ Heath did everything on Paradise Island, and Dick Ayers did all the military stuff.” Jose Delbo, of course, was on hand for most of the pages with Diana herself. “My goal for the Wonder Woman Spectacular was to create an intricate and epic tale,” Harris recalls, “and I think we achieved it. It was great working with all the different artists. I color coded the script, using different colored typing paper for each artist. The original script for that book is now in the Smithsonian! “During Wonder Woman’s anniversary (I forget which one), the Smithsonian had an exhibit and many of us were asked to donate items (script and art). So I did. Somewhere I have a certificate declaring that I have an item in the collection.” For the regular Wonder Woman series, it was time to move forward. “There didn’t seem to be a logical reason for keeping WW in WWII,” Hama observes. “Even the Blackhawks had been brought up to the present, and their primary specific purpose was to fight the Axis. It just made all the characters old enough to be everybody’s grandparents.” Adds Harris, “I think the TV series was the original reason DC went with the World War II stories, but I think the switch back to modern day was what we (the fans and the creative staff) wanted to do all along. I think we would have done it at that time regardless of what the TV show was up to.” First, Harris felt a proper wrap-up was in order though he “didn’t want to mess with any of Gerry’s storylines. If I recall, I thought I should at least attempt to ‘end’ the World War II-era stories before bringing it back to Earth-One; what better way than to have the war end (it wasn’t much of a surprise. I think everyone knew the Allies won. It was in all the papers...).” That story, set on VJ Day in 1945, hinged on a detail from the TV show rather than the comics history. Specifically, Diana was expected to retire her Wonder Woman persona and return to Paradise Island when the war was over. Indeed, Queen Hippolyte was delighted when an alien force threatened to transform everyone on Earth into a herd mind, believing this would douse the hostility of man once and for all. Her daughter was appalled, of course, and thanks to an argument made on her behalf by the supernatural Dr. Fate and Spectre, the Queen tearfully rescinded her decree. “Princess Diana is now … and forever will be—Wonder Woman!” [The TV series took a different tack, actually having Diana retire for thirty years before returning in 1977 to help the son of Steve Trevor.] General Blankenship retired to write his memoirs as WW #242 closed, while Etta Candy returned to Holliday College and joined the Holliday Girls sorority (“Woo-woo!”) and Major Trevor was promoted to Colonel. All that was left to deal

Winding Down Her Earth-Two Tales (top) The WWII setting was clearly evident with General MacArthur’s appearance in Wonder Woman #237 (Nov. 1977, cover by Rich Buckler and Colletta), but the striking Joe Staton/Dick Giordano cover to issue #241 (Mar. 1978) provided no hint of the series’ 1940s backdrop. TM & © DC Comics.

32 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

with in #243 (May 1978) was a book-ending transitional team-up of the once and future Wonder Women—this time instigated by the Angle Man—to bring the series back to 1978. “My Earth-2 counterpart seems to have managed her life pretty well after the war,” the modern-day Wonder Woman mused. “I wonder if I can do the same?” The goal from that point on, according to Hama, was “not to mirror the TV show, as much to try to make everything more ‘up to date.’” Making a clean break from the past, Harris quickly killed off Steve Trevor (again) and Diana Prince moved into a new career as an astronaut. The TV show’s influence extended only as far as the depiction of Ms. Prince’s glasses and pulled-back hair on the show. That and the subtle detail of the white stripes on her once solid-red boots that remained a part of the Earth-One WW’s costume long after the World War II flashbacks had faded away. “The one thing I kept trying to do in the series was to convey the idea that, at least for Diana Prince, the equality females were fighting for at the time had already been achieved,” Harris adds. “I wanted her to go through her civilian life treated with equality to show what a woman’s life should be. I was never sure if that came across as I wanted it to.” Before it ended its run on September 11, 1979, the Wonder Woman TV series had one last bit of impact on one of the men who worked on the comic book. “My then-agent, John Schallert, represented Anne Collins, the show’s story editor,” Alan Brennert recalls. “She read a script of mine, liked it, we met, and I wound up pitching and selling them a script which producer Bruce Lansbury dubbed, to my everlasting embarrassment, ‘Disco Devil.’ That was my first TV assignment, and I went on to write three more scripts for the show; I learned most of what I learned about writing for television from Bruce and Anne. After ‘Disco Devil’ I was actually offered a staff gig but turned it down because as much as I loved Anne and Bruce, I just didn’t think I could write Wonder Woman seven days a week for an entire season.” It’s impossible to say whether the events of Wonder Woman #228–243 really boosted sales or whether, as readers like Carol Strickland argued, they’d have gone up anyway. DC’s then-public relations director Mike Gold, in an interview with Nick Landau for Comic Media News (subsequently reprinted in The Comic Reader #152, Jan. 1978), certainly believed that it helped. “Whereas the book was growing before the TV show,” he declared, “now it has been taking off in leaps and bounds.” It could even be debated whether the character actually worked best in the wartime environment in which she was born. “The advantage of setting Earth-Two stories in the 1940s is obvious,” Gerry Conway believes. “It’s less confusing to explain an alternate reality that looks really really different from our own. And it gives you a playing field that’s pretty much wide open. Plus there’s the potential for ironic comment on history, like the FDR Atom Bomb subplot mentioned earlier.” Jack C. Harris asserts, “Wonder Woman is much better as a modern-day heroine, although the stories written and published during World War II reflect some very interesting social norms.” Whatever the setting, Larry Hama believes “it could still be a much more commercial property if it

was handled by a truly visionary graphic storyteller. The conceptualization should be on the visual end.” However much some fans may have wished the war to be over at the time, Wonder Woman’s return to the 1940s remains a nicely realized treat and one whose influence extended far beyond 1978. Roy Thomas, for one, happily put Baron Blitzkrieg, Kung, and the Samurai to use in All-Star Squadron during the 1980s, while a younger generation that included Phil Jimenez and Allan Heinberg has revisited, in one form or another, villains like the Red Panzer, Armageddon, Kung, and Osira on into the 21st Century. Maybe DC didn’t miss the boat after all.

García-López and Giordano Covers by this penciler/ inker team were among the hallmarks of DC’s Bronze Age, and here are two: (above) Wonder Woman #240 (Feb. 1978), which guest-starred the Golden Age Flash, and (inset) the so-called Wonder Woman Spectacular.

JOHN WELLS knows more about DC Comics history than just about anyone, and is kind enough to share that knowledge from time to time with BACK ISSUE readers.

Comics Go to War Issue

TM & © DC Comics.

•

BACK ISSUE • 33

Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen … more like Combat Kelly and the Deadly Nine. As in “nine issues.” Call it a comic-book casualty of war, but the short-lived Marvel Comics Group World War II feature known as Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen (June 1972–Sept. 1973) fought a losing battle for readers before ever reaching the magic number in its title. Combat Kelly may have died a quiet death, and creatively, this series may have been no path of glory for veteran World War II comics writer Gary Friedrich, who helmed Kelly’s entire run with Dick Ayers providing the pencils. And yet, the book is not without its charms. One thing’s for sure: This is one comic book that went out with all guns blazing.

COMICS GO TO WAR By the end of the 1960s, the trend of World War II comics—popular since, oh, World War II?—was finally winding down. Sgt. Fury had traded in his dog tags for secret-agent status and entered the espionage game as a S.H.I.E.L.D. commandant. Revived World War II relic Captain America went urban warrior, taking on Manhattan-based madmen. Over at DC, a few old chestnuts—Sgt. Rock, the Unknown Soldier—lingered into another decade, while Marvel outfitted the Second World War in superhero drag with The Invaders. But by the 1970s, these titles were the exceptions, not the norm. Bridging the chasm in 1972 as if it were the River Kwai was Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen. Those nine issues may not have warranted an article were it not for the fact that this otherwise generic-looking combat series took a few daring detours in its brief existence. Among those conceits: some colorful, well-developed characters; crude-looking visuals backboned by structurally solid storytelling; and, most memorably, a brazen, explosive series-ending finale presenting some unvarnished, Comics Code-baiting Nazi brutality that left one character crippled for life, and all of Kelly’s men dead by the end of the last issue.

Stirrin’ Up the Stalag Kelly’s heroes bust free from a concentration camp in this original cover art to Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen #2 (Aug. 1972), by the legendary John Severin. Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). © 2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

34 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Michael Aushenker

Combat Kelly’s Talented Two Gary Friedrich (left) and Dick Ayers at the New York Comic-Con in Manhattan, April 20, 2008. Photos courtesy of Nightscream. SILENT BUT DEADLY Now, if you’re thinking right now that Combat Kelly is still not ringing a bell, you are not alone, chief. The series barely registered even with Kelly’s very creative team, headed by the series’ editorial commando Roy Thomas. “I just don’t recall much about that series, having left it to Gary [Friedrich],” Thomas tells BACK ISSUE. “Gary was probably experimenting somewhat to see how far he could go in certain areas.” BACK ISSUE pressed Thomas if Combat Kelly was a warm-up for his writing chores a few years later on another Marvel comic, The Invaders, and his current World War II-drenched superhero endeavor, Anthem (Heroic Publishing). “Can’t say more than that it was a warm-up ... unintended,” responds Thomas. “I was always interested in WWII, but not necessarily writing about it. In fact, when a big Pearl Harbor movie, Tora! Tora! Tora!, opened in the late ’60s, I never got around to walking the block or two to see it before it went off ... but I got more interested in writing a WWII superhero comic as time went on.” Dick Ayers, now 84 with a lengthy résumé behind him that includes myriad war comics, tells BACK ISSUE that he only faintly remembers working on the book. Combat Kelly was not the first military series on which Friedrich and Ayers collaborated. Friedrich relieved his old Missouri pal (and future Invaders creator/scribe) Thomas from writing duty on Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandos, as Thomas was graduated to editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics following Stan Lee. Friedrich and the art team of Ayers and John Severin produced a World War II series for the Vietnam era, combining militaristic camaraderie and gung-ho humor with a melancholy sense of war as a terrible last resort. Under Friedrich, the series won the Alley Award for “Best War Title” in 1967–1968. Following in the combat-boot prints of Sgt. Fury (not to mention the obvious tip o’ the hat to the 1967 Robert Aldrich film The Dirty Dozen), Combat Kelly milked that award-winning formula, delivering a multiethnic squadron that started at the top with the title Irish-American and worked its way down the chain of command—as did Sgt. Fury’s Howlers, which featured such colorful characters as Private Dino Manelli (inspired by Italian-American crooner Dean Martin), Private Isadore “Izzy” Cohen (the first demonstrably Jewish-American comic-book hero), token Brit Private Percival “Pinky” Pinkerton, and Nazi defector Private Eric Koenig. In Combat Kelly #1, both Manelli and Pinkerton transferred from the Howlers to the Deadly Dozen to help transition readers to the new series. And the Howlers’ “Dum Dum” Dugan ran the show, ticking off the Deadly Dozen roster, until Kelly is brought in to replace him as squadron leader. The formula couldn’t have been more all-American: What better symbol of our country’s diversity and opportunity than portraying men of different ethnicities coming together as one to defeat a common enemy.

The Dirty Deadly Dozen Debut John Severin’s cover to Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen #1 (June 1972) promised explosive action, which the series’ writer/artist team of Gary Friedrich and Dick Ayers ably delivered. © 2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

ROLL CALL! Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen began its march to a different war drum with the June 1972 cover-dated issue titled “Stop the Luftwaffe … Win the War!” To put things in context, it was released at the same time Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 smashed through brick-and-mortar onto the Marvel scene. Kelly’s creative troops: Friedrich wrote it, Ayers penciled it, and Jim Mooney inked it. In the inaugural issue, a US military captain enlists Sgt. Fury’s howling commando “Dum Dum” Dugan to lead a special battalion to crush a Nazi Luftwaffe jet that will win the war for the Germans. Part and parcel with that objective is a mission to abduct the über-plane’s inventor. Removed from leading the mission, Dugan passes the baton to Michael Lee Kelly, a 6' 1" Bostonian heavyweight boxer doing life in a government prison for killing a man with his bare hands. This fightin’ Irish-American has one chance of redemption and freedom—lead the Deadly Dozen on this suicide mission and help America win the war. No sweat, right?

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 35

As Kelly becomes Corporal Kelly, the roll call becomes as follows:

Super-Soldier Team-Up Don’t let the Sgt. Fury header fool ya— this Ayers/Esposito splash page is from Combat Kelly #4 (Dec. 1972), part of a Howling Commandos/ Deadly Dozen crossover. Art courtesy of Heritage. © 2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

• Two Howling holdovers to sweeten the deal with readers: movie star MANELLI and PINKERTON, the Limey with the pom-pom-topped red beret. • JAKE JENSEN, an African American doing hard time. • HILLBILLY WAGNER, a country crooner who takes his acoustic guitar on the mission to sabotage the jet and, at one point, sings a country ditty over a loudspeaker to rattle the Nazis that helps the Deadly Dozen toss some “pineapple salads” (grenades) and complete their mission. “Vat ist das?!” cries one Nazi in reaction to Wagner’s warbling. “Mine ears … they are SPLITTING!” • HOWARD SHIGETA, a Japanese-American who would rather not go to an internment camp. • SNAKE-EYE SIMPSON, a Caucasian, who doesn’t get much play in the series. • HOSS COSGROVE, a big, blond, thick, rugged “rassler”—physically built like the gruff Don Perlin––who wants out of jail. This character also rarely shows up in the series. • DONALD SAMPLE, mustachioed master spy with the grizzled Warren Oates look.

36 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

• Marksman mechanic BULLSEYE MILLER. • Mohawked Native American Indian archer JAY LITTLE BEAR, a red-skinned fugitive from another Sgt. Fury knock-off, Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders. • Pretty-boy trust-fund baby (and constant internal foil) ACE HAMILTON. • The comely yet tough-as-nails blondie (and Kelly paramour) LAURIE LIVINGSTON, the only woman in the Dozen. With an excellent, stylized opening splash page of Kelly, with his Dozen behind him, receding in a line with weapons drawn into a blood-orange sun, Combat Kelly is off to a bold start. The storytelling? Straightforward and solid, including the roll call scene. Lots of closeups, teeth gnashing, chomped cigars. The coloring is pretty lousy … gloriously lousy. It only adds to the cool non-style of the book.

KELLY’S HEROES In Combat Kelly #2 (Aug. 1972), “Lonely are the Brave,” Friedrich and Ayers are joined by inker Mike Esposito. All aboard rose to the occasion on a story centered on a concentration camp bust-out. The mission is carried out with the help of three POWs originally tried by the US Government for cowardice: Native American Indian G.I.s Richard Longtree, Wildcat Smith, and Ronson Carpenter. They succeed in liberating the entire camp of several hundred prisoners with the help of four Deadly Dozen breaking into the camp: Little Bear, Manelli, Percy, and Kelly. When the Captain tells the four that he will not award the three Indian G.I.s Medals of Honor for their role in the break out, the issue ends with Jay Little Bear asking himself on behalf of Native America: “They kill off our race—let those who remain starve—then ask us to fight for them! And when three of us show great courage— they refuse to acknowledge it!—Still we remain proud—and we will continue to remain proud—but for how long!? How long?!” An action-packed “great escape” issue, #2 comes tightly packed with drama like a bundle of nitroglycerin. Kelly and company blow up the watchtower, and on page 15, there’s a poignant moment as we’re treated to a full-page splash––silent, dialogue-free––of the ragtag prisoners fleeing through the snow amid towering pines. The tower burns in the background, as Nazi fighter planes descend on the horizon. Friedrich knew when to hold back and let the visuals do the “talking.” No text necessary. Crudely rendered, casually colored … but very, very effective. As a series with presumably waning numbers, the inevitable Combat Kelly/Sgt. Fury team-up came hard and fast as a two-parter across issues #3 and 4. This fan-savored team-up between the Dozen and the Howlers features a turning point that puts the “dead” into “Deadly Dozen.” When Hillbilly Wagner and Bullseye Miller are jumped by the Krauts, Wagner is killed, while Bullseye is wounded and abandoned by the renegade US Capt. Conner, who threatens to kill Kelly and Fury’s squads. A fatally wounded Bullseye takes Conner out, dying himself. R.I.P. Bullseye Miller. By Combat Kelly #5 (Feb. 1973), Vince Colletta began inking Ayers on the book. In issue #6’s “A Wing … A Prayer … and Mad Dog Martin!,” the Deadly Dozen go on a suicide mission (what else?) into Germany with an assist from high-flying ace Mad Dog Martin. Out on the field, Hamilton’s bloodlust

Big Girls Don’t Cry Laurie Livingston shows her spunk on page 10 of Combat Kelly #5 (Feb. 1973), “Escape from Devil’s Island,” the issue where Vince Colletta took over as Dick Ayers’ inker. Courtesy of Heritage. © 2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

almost overtakes him as the Allies have the advantage … until Kelly and company are suddenly forced to retreat and Hamilton turns into a coward. As the combat heats up, the Dozen bad mouth a no-show Mad Dog for chickening out. They change their tune in a hurry after Mad Dog pulls through in a pinch—and then some! He uses his plane to sheer off the wing of an attacking Nazi fighter plane and then seemingly kamikazes his aircraft into the Nazi fortress, opening up a hole for the Dozen to blaze through. On the story’s last page, Mad Dog appears––having bailed out of his plane before it hit the fortress (oldest trick in the book, Friedrich!), and Kelly offers him membership into the Deadly Dozen. This issue is ripe with great throwaway lines. A battling Kelly, while surrounded by bomb blasts, quips: “Man! They’re throwin’ everything at us but Eva Braun’s best beer steins!” During a flashback scene of the night before the battle, where the romantic plot thickens between Kelly and Laurie, the pipe-smoking Captain Sam Sawyer breaks up a USO dance to call his men to duty. Kelly to Laurie: “I got no intention of dancin’ with one of my men … even if she’s a great-lookin’ chick!” Of course, Kelly does dance with her. Almost kisses her, too. As the disappointed men bolt out of the USO Canteen, one soldier quips, “How do ya like that?! I was just about to get this dame’s phone number!” To which one of Kelly’s men retorts: “You think that’s bad … I wuz on the verge of gettin’ the Lindy down pat! Sometimes I think Happy Sam’s got gunpowder in his veins and a grenade for a heart!” There’s a nice scene on page 3––a very stylish, stylized orange- and red-colored panel––of three retreating soldiers caught in a bomb blast. Exciting aerial scenes during the sequence where Mad Dog (Han Solo-style, in the days before Star Wars) sows it up with an 11th hour appearance that takes out Nazi fighters and allows Kelly to win the battle. Another select story, “Blast the Beasts and Children” in Combat Kelly #7 (June 1973), is a heart-pounder. Perhaps the most unusual story in the series, this story makes complete departure from the battlefield, where most of the other tales take place. Friedrich, Ayers with John Tartaglione on inks, and Denise Vladimer, lettering, bring on a story rife with ethical dilemmas. Somewhere in France, near the German border, Erika, a mother of three, is forced to take in three errant Nazi soldiers looking for a meal and a shingle. Staying with Erika’s family is a terrified nun, Sister Angelique. Kelly and a few of his men—Percy, Ace, Jay—are in the vicinity. Internal friction galore as Hamilton draws a knife on Jay: “You loco-weed-puffin’ cigar store decoration!” Kelly, punching the dagger out of

Hamilton’s hand, says: “Drop it, Hamilton … or I’ll knock every cap out of your thousand-dollar mouth!” When Kelly and a few of his men, including the increasingly bloodthirsty Hamilton, stumble onto the unarmed Nazis at Erica’s house, they also stay the night with hopes of capturing the evil trio. Sister Angelique keeps the peace for the night––she pleads that the Americans and the Germans in the household “for one night––let us forget the rules of war.” That night, Ace goes on a tear, with a dagger drawn, looking for trouble. He finds it when one of the three Nazis tries to rape Erika. After some combat between the Germans and Kelly’s men, Sister Angelique keeps the peace— with an automatic weapon. As Kelly and crew leave with the “Lager-slurpers” in custody, Kelly observes, “Quite a woman, Sister Angelique! Maybe she oughta be runnin’ the world!” Hot on the heels of the sublime #7 comes the two-part series finale that may have the last word on all other World War II books. Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 37

EXIT THE DOZEN, PECKINPAH-STYLE!

It happened across Combat Kelly #8 and 9 (Aug. and Oct. 1973), with art by Ayers and Colletta. And it was devastating. The penultimate #8 sets up a story arc that culminates in a finale revolving around an experimenting Mengele-esque scientist named Sweikert, stationed deep within a fortressed Nazi hospital. The bald madman, like Dr. Sivana on crystal meth, threatens to operate on a captured brunette “Jewess,” despite her pleas for her life. She is led away and never seen again. By issue’s end, both Kelly and Laura (after Kelly, within this issue, finally comes clean with his love for her) are captured and strapped to Sweikert’s operating table. If the series until now has been all-around unsentimental or unafraid to mirror reality and take out certain characters, such fervor barrels downhill at high speed, with no brakes and the bridge out! Unlike in some comics, where protagonists are merely threatened, only to be rescued last-minute,

the horrors presented in #8 and 9 are brutal and, although many are implied off-panel, actually occur. By #9, while Kelly and Laura are strapped down, we hear the “Jewess” scream from off panel. As Sweikert explains, she is being operated on without anesthetics. The sadistic Nazi schemes to operate on Laura’s Achilles tendon with just a scalpel—no anesthesia—and leave her crippled and unable to walk … permanently. Again—not an idle threat. Sweikert succeeds and, by the time Kelly has carried the fainted Laura to safety, she is, according to Kelly, permanently unable to walk. Kelly swears to stay by her side forever. The final issue of Combat Kelly is titled “Did You Ever See a Dozen Die?”—and boy, does it deliver on that premise! While Sweikert operates on Laura, and Kelly struggles to free himself to save his screaming love interest, the Deadly Dozen are on the outside of the hospital, valiantly fighting Nazi forces to get in. One by one— Doc, Jake Jensen, and Shigeta are picked off. Inside the hospital, the war-mongering Ace is killed as his gun jams … perhaps an ironic fate for this violent beserker. Even the noble Jay Little Bear is shot dead as he valiantly paves the way for Kelly to place his crippled love, Laura—her bandaged calves dangling— into a commandeered Nazi ambulance, via which they escape to freedom. The Sweikert maneuver is just one subplot in what turns out to be the series’ most action-packed and nihilistic issue. By the last page, Kelly faces Capt. Sawyer in a tense stand-off and throws his “crummy patches and stripes” and quits. There is no mention that this is the last issue—although events within the issue would certainly suggest it. As wild and offbeat a war comic as Combat Kelly is, nothing could prepare its handful of readers for the kamikaze-style blow-out series finale. In brutal Peckinpah-style fashion, Combat Kelly #9 brutally and nihilistically offed most of the Deadly Dozen, leaving only Kelly standing … and Livingston living, but not standing! Obviously, Friedrich decided to go Wild Bunch on this climactic issue when he learned that the series had fallen under an axe sharper than anything Jay Little Bear ever slung at a stormtrooper.

COMBAT KELLY’S BLUES The Combat Kelly series underwent some fine-tuning as it went along. The logo underwent a makeover halfway through the series’ run, from a bottom-heavy, lacklusterdesigned tag emphasizing the Deadly Dozen, to a more arid, slick, sleek, modern-looking logo with “Combat Kelly” writ large and “and the Deadly Dozen” downsized. On July 26, 2007, San Diego Comic-Con International held a panel featuring Gary Friedrich (which followed a spotlight on his Ghost Rider co-creator, artist Mike Ploog). Friedrich shared some memories of working on the swiftly canceled Combat Kelly. A veteran of World War II series, Friedrich always scripted these comics as “anti-war books.” With the success of Friedrich’s work on Sgt. Fury, Marvel publisher Martin Goodman wanted more war. Capt. Savage and His Leatherneck Raiders (rechristened Captain Savage and His Battlefield Raiders with issue #9) preceded Combat Kelly. At 19 issues, this US Marines saga did not fare much better than the US Army series Kelly. Soon after Goodman’s directive, Friedrich said, there was a glut: “Too many war books.” When learning of Kelly’s impending cancellation, Friedrich asked Stan Lee, then-Marvel’s editor-in-chief, “If it’s going to be canceled, why don’t we kill them all?” Friedrich added

38 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

with a chuckle, “And Stan said, ‘Okay,’” eliciting laughs from some forty people attending his panel. BACK ISSUE asked Roy Thomas how involved he was in the execution of the Combat Kelly series. “Gary was doing a good job,” says Thomas. “I wasn’t that hands-on as an editor. I just tried to get the best people. I’d talk to writers. I was there for the broad stokes.” Thomas has a clear memory of Friedrich’s reaction to Combat’s cancellation: “He was disgusted with having to end it, “ recalls Thomas, “and he killed them all off.” So, was there any reaction––internally at Marvel or externally among the comics readership––to the harsh, roundhouse offing of just about every character in the book? Admits Thomas, “I don’t think anyone noticed.”

GOOD NIGHT, SOLDIER…

“For now, Combat Kelly needs a pause…,” reads the narration box with a naïve optimism (so rare in the ’70s…), presuming Kelly may return as he walks off into an uncertain future to take care of his crippled love Laurie. “…Time away from the war which has slowly, ever so slowly, created a soldier— but destroyed a man!” In the winter of 1973, Combat Kelly’s paused … never to return. Special thanks to Alan Rutledge for supplying me with those elusive Combat Kelly back issues. MICHAEL AUSHENKER is a Los Angeles-based writer and cartoonist. His comic books include the El Gato, Crime Mangler series, Cartoon Flophouse, and Those Unstoppable Rogues. He is the writer behind Gumby’s Gang featuring Pokey (WildCard Ink) and Liberty Comics (Heroic Publishing). Visit cartoonflophouse.com.

Photo credit: Marlene Aushenker.

Moody and melancholy, harrowing and heartfelt, Combat Kelly may not technically be the best WWII comic book ever produced, but it may be the most guilty-pleasure fun. Under Sgt. Friedrich’s command—Corporal Ayers, embellished by Private Esposito and later, Private Colletta— the Combat Kelly brigade served up white-hot WWII comics. Yes, they may appear visually awkward and stunted in places—even at times rather crude, primitive, and unsophisticated—but that’s what gave the book its charm. Nonetheless, Combat Kelly boasted inventive plots and bold, effective storytelling. Like the team of Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz on Moon Knight; Bill Mantlo, Lee Elias, and Franks Robbins and Springer on The Human Fly; and Mantlo and Sal Buscema on ROM: Spaceknight; Combat Kelly clearly benefited from a finite creative crew that did not waver from issue to issue. In hindsight, it gave the series an overall consistency and cohesiveness that may not have attracted many readers in its day, but makes for a great retroactive read. It is doubtful that this series will ever warrant an Essentials collection, as few would consider this series as essential even among World War II books. But for bargain-bin divers, Combat Kelly is pure treasure. “Gary [Friedrich] and I worked on a Captain America,” legendary artist John Romita, Sr. tells BACK ISSUE. “When he worked on a book with Jack Kirby or me or Dick Ayers … he used to leave almost everything up to [the artist]. A lot of writers had the sense to stay out of the artist’s way. I remember that fondly. And then he wrote some good stuff when he did the dialogue. “[Friedrich] always had a lot of heart in his stuff and you can tell,” Romita continues. “If a writer put a lot of guts into the stuff, it would show.” In the closing panels of Combat Kelly #9, Kelly practically throws his “crummy patches and stripes” at Captain Sawyer. His resignation works on many levels. It’s the end of a series. It’s the end of an era (WWII comics’ heyday). It’s a reflection of the early 1970s’ rejection of authority, military, and government in the era of Vietnam and Watergate, transposed onto the gung-ho jingoistic epoch of the Second World War. The winds of war were shifting … it signaled the time for a change.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 39

They called him “the Immortal Man of War…” From the shores of Iwo Jima to the sewers of Berlin to the beaches of Normandy, this hero— first identified with master cartoonist Joe Kubert— fought the Axis in some of the most harrowing, hair-raising World War II adventures that DC Comics has ever published … the most spectacular of which saw him personally take down Adolf Hitler deep within Der Fuhrer’s bunker. Now, if you’re thinking of Sgt. Rock, guess again, goldbricker! The Unknown Soldier remains an underrated run— even by those who dig Kubert’s beautifully scratchy, shadowy art. Even by creator Kubert himself. There are many interviews scattered like stardust across the Internet in which Kubert discusses Sgt. Rock, Enemy Ace, and Hawkman, but Unknown Soldier talk remains scarce… …until now.

Michael Aushenker

ICONIC AND IRONIC So, who is the Unknown Soldier? Well, we know who the Unknown Soldier isn’t: Captain America. Sgt. Fury. Capt. Savage. Combat Kelly—those were the competition’s World War II characters (many issues of which were drawn by Unknown Soldier artist Dick Ayers). He wasn’t Sgt. Rock, the only other DC World War II hero to surpass the Soldier’s comic-book lifespan. The erstwhile Steve Rogers notwithstanding, none of those WWII books outlasted the Unknown Soldier, star of a solid 1970–1982 run. Contrary to impressions, this character did not debut during the Second World War’s Golden Age but at the dawn of comics’ Bronze Age, first appearing in Star Spangled War Stories #151 (June–July 1970). The Unknown Soldier’s power lies in the character as a compelling visual; the character is the link between the Mummy and the Invisible Man, Sam Raimi’s Darkman, and 100 Bullets. The simplicity of this iconic anti-hero archtype, his face wrapped in bandages, instantly conveys horror, tragedy, mystery. Hero and anti-hero, the Soldier falls in line with a tradition of lean, mean, sleekly designed heroes where their only revelation is all in the eyes—the Human Fly, Union Jack. He dons a hat, trench coat, and shades to conceal himself … and that’s when he’s not in disguise! For in each heart-stopping issue, the Soldier dons at least one latex mask to impersonate and infiltrate Axis circles … and he throws down stealth moves, not always government-issue, to accomplish his mission. In essence, this is “Darkman meets Combat!” or “the Invisible Man goes to war.” Unlike the H. G. Wells character, he is not evil … yet like the scientist Griffin, he is not above killing. This comic book’s concept was simple: the exploits of Arlington National Cemetery’s Unknown Soldier incarnate; the embodiment of every anonymous US soldier who died fighting for this country and its ideals of justice and freedom, from the Revolutionary War through World War II. In 2002, three months before the first Spider-Man movie hit theaters with its unprecedented nine-digit box-office tally, I had the good fortune to interview director Raimi for a local L.A. periodical. Here’s an excerpt from the my article: 40 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Face Off The Unknown Soldier shows the true face of war in this detail from the Joe Kubert cover art to Star Spangled War Stories #168 (Mar. 1973), with its original word balloons supplanted by our article’s subtitle. TM & © DC Comics.

The Amazing Spider-Man was Raimi’s favorite title, but he also loved The Shadow. In the 1980s, Raimi lobbied to direct the movie version … to no avail. “When Universal didn’t want me for the job, I said, ‘Well, damn it, I’m going to write my own ‘Shadow,’” recalled Raimi, who conceived his Gothic antihero Darkman in the spirit of the venerable pulp character. I wonder now whether or not Unknown Soldier also factored into Raimi’s Liam Neeson-starring movie, as Darkman—with his identical Gothic gauze garb and constant assumptions of new identities (instead of latex guises, he’s a scientist affixing masks of temporary genetic material onto his disfigured face)—was, in essence, an urban Unknown Soldier.

YOU SAY YOU WANT AN EVOLUTION… When the Unknown Soldier started out in Star Spangled War Stories (SSWS) #151, the nascent concept featured the character as more of the embodiment of an idea rather than a specific person. A typical issue would end with the mysterioso Soldier lost in thought, staring out pensively before the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington. Two issues of SSWS, both drawn by Kubert, proved to be crucial in the evolution of the series. “I’ll Never Die!” (SSWS #154) told the origin of the Unknown Soldier; “Invasion Game” (#155), written by Bob Haney, introduced a significant supporting character to the Soldier mythos: “the most famous French Resistance leader alive,” black jazz player Chat Noir. As the series progresses, the Unknown Soldier evolves from a symbolic character—he could be anyone of us—to a specific character: a master of disguises ready to impersonate and infiltrate at a moment’s notice when London calls. It’s not until #183 (Jan.–Feb. 1975) where we finally see the shadowy Soldier’s horrific, disfigured, skull face, and rather than detract, it only adds new flavor to the feature, as new writer David Michelinie

maximizes the conceit of the unraveled Unknown Soldier to great effect; and Gerry Talaoc becomes the first artist to “expose” him after many issues of the Soldier unmasking in shadows or covering his face with his hands. So here’s the million-dollar Charlie Rose question: The Unknown Soldier:“The Man No One Knows … Yet Is Known By Everyone!” How did he come … to be? “It was during the time I was editing a bunch of war books,” Joe Kubert tells BACK ISSUE. “The Unknown Soldier is a memorial that houses the body of one of the soldiers whose history was unknown. I thought it was a good excuse to get [elements of] mystery, horror, and sci-fi, which we tried to do with all the war books.” Kubert created the Unknown Soldier during his editorial tenure at DC Comics from 1967–1976—a stint during which Kubert launched titles based on such Edgar Rice Burroughs properties Tarzan of the Apes and Korak, Son of Tarzan; and supervised such series as Weird Worlds and, of course, Our Army at War featuring Sgt. Rock. DC veteran scribe Robert Kanigher was key to the Unknown Soldier’s early genesis. “Bob was always a pleasure to work with,” remembers Kubert. “He was very enthusiastic. He had a lot of terrific ideas. Bob had for a long time been the editor on all of the war books. Eventually Bob took ill and couldn’t finish his chores. [Then-DC editorial director] Carmine Infantino, we’ve known each other for years. He felt I would be the right one to handle it. I was the editor, Bob was the writer ... it’s not a situation that a lot of people could take to. Bob was professional enough to know what the situation was.” Visual experimentation on the series was common. One of the visual trademarks—especially in Jack Sparling runs written by Archie Goodwin and Frank Robbins— was a splash page that incorporated photographic elements. SSWS #155, “Invasion Game” by Bob Haney and Kubert, featured a French Resistance montage— beautifully rendered grease pencil on Coquille board— as the center frame, an ink drawing of the Soldier getting his assignment from his superior in Washington, D.C., 1944. “We started out by trying to give as much credibility as possible by cutting out photographs to give an additional credibility to the character,” Kubert says. “I still do. I’ll take the back of a drawing pad or corrugated cardboard and draw on that … something that looks a little different than what’s been done before.” Comics Go to War Issue

Private Eyes The Invisible Man (above) and Darkman (left), tragic “cousins” of the Unknown Soldier. © Universal Pictures.

TM & © DC Comics.

•

BACK ISSUE • 41

Bob Kanigher (above) The legendary writer/editor of DC war titles is seated at left at a 1980s DC gathering. With him are Cary Burkett (center) and Morris Waldinger. Photo courtesy of Bob Rozakis. (right) SSWS #151, which introduced the Unknown Soldier. TM & © DC Comics.

Kubert didn’t stay long on SSWS beyond illustrating covers. “The question that had been often asked of me is do I have a liking for this kind of story,” Kubert continues, referring to the war comics fans associate him with. “No, I don’t … It was not a favorite subject matter of mine. I did it the best I know how.” Dick Ayers says, “I’m a great admirer of Joe’s art. He’s got a nice strong brushstroke. I kept trying to get Sgt. Rock. I like Joe. I taught at his school for a couple of years [1977–1978].” John Romita, Sr. has never worked with Kubert or on Unknown, but the legendary Marvel artist has long admired Kubert’s supernal art. “When I was in high school, I used to get the [Kubert-drawn Golden Age] Hawkman books from DC and eat my heart out,” Romita laughs it up with BACK ISSUE. “I loved his Hawkman. I assumed he was a seasoned pro. And the son of a gun was only a few years older than me. I was 16 and he was like, 18. I was very upset to find that out. “Joe Kubert’s style is the most distinctive style, [like] Kirby. When he did the Green Beret strip, it was so fresh, it made every other strip look stale and worn-out.”

BETWEEN A ROCK AND A JEWISH PLACE With issues such as SSWS #152 (Aug.–Sept. 1970, “Instant Glory”), a Soldier tale that partly takes place in a concentration camp amid Jewish victims of the Holocaust, artist/writer Kubert anticipates Jewish themes that will surface in his later work, from DC’s shortlived Jewish superhero series Ragman to his Will Eisner phase of Jewish-themed graphic novels Yossel: April 19, 1943 (2003) and Jew Gangster (2005). In 1976, the master artist left DC to found the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art in Dover, New Jersey, but he has continued cartooning, entering a mature career phase with the graphic novels Fax from Sarajevo (1996), Yossel, and Sgt. Rock: The Prophecy (2006). Judaism has always been a part of Kubert’s art. Kanigher and Kubert, both Jewish, created Ragman in 1977. While only five issues ran (a sixth turned up in the Cancelled Comics Cavalcade in the wake of the infamous 1977–1978 DC Implosion), Ragman was touted as the first Jewish superhero. Beginning in the late ’80s, Kubert created faith-based comic strips for Moshiach Times. The Adventures of Yaakov and Yosef referenced the Torah and drew inspiration from Chabad-Lubavitch stories. 42 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

WHERE THERE’S A WILL… Kubert’s recent journey into personal, Jewish-themed graphic novels echo the late career of another superhero cartoonist: Will Eisner. So, did Eisner push Kubert to explore his heritage in pen and ink? “I knew Will very well,” Kubert reveals. “He was a good friend. He really pushed me to do [the Holocaust-themed Yossel]. I asked him, ‘How do I have the time?’ He said, ‘Joe, I take one hour a week and put it aside for the graphic novel.’ I said, ‘Well, gee whiz!’ He was touting me to do the same thing. I said, ‘Who would want to publish it?’ He said, ‘Joe, if you do it, I’ll publish it!’ The similarity that you’ve made between Will and myself … this is the first time I thought of it … Jewish [subject matter] was never a topic of conversation [between us], never.” With SSWS #152, was he anticipating his more personal Jewishthemed explorations? “Not consciously,” says Kubert, whose heritage hails from Yzerin, Poland. “In trying to do everything—the writing, the art, and everything else—I had a tendency to draw on what I know. If I were Italian, I’d write about being Italian. I happen to be Jewish. The stuff I did on the Holocaust, these are things I experienced, not directly but my family. People in my father’s family, from his village … in the late ’30s/early ’40s, they would come to my father with tattoos. What really opened my eyes was visiting the Holocaust Museum in Washington. My family brought me when I was two years old, and I saw what would prevail if they had not come here to America … what would have happened if my father hadn’t pushed to come to this country.” Did Eisner get to see Kubert’s Jewish work before he passed away in 2005? Yes, says Kubert with a laugh: “He was gratified. It’s his fault!” Also blame Eisner for Kubert’s steadiest gig.

“He started a magazine in 1945 called P.S. magazine— a maintenance magazine, 64 pages, comes out 12 times a year. It’s been going on for fifty years. It’s a governmentfunded magazine. I’ve been doing it for the past ten years, they extended it for another ten years, so I’ll be doing it when I’m 105 years old [laughs].” “Kubert is like one of the founding fathers of the United States,” says Romita. “He’s been doing comics for more than sixty years. They come to me for nostalgia, to do a cover of Daredevil … but Joe is doing current!” Romita cannot understand how Kubert keeps going: “I was ready in ’65 to quit!”

UNKNOWN ARTISTS Almost every Soldier cover, down to the curtain–call issue, was drawn by Kubert. The occasional non-Kubert cover came courtesy of such artists as Mike Kaluta and Ernie Chan. Between the covers, Jack Sparling, Dan Spiegle, and Doug Wildey delivered the goods, stylistically mirroring those early Kubert tales. As ubiquitous as Kubert’s covers were the interiors by veteran Silver Age Marvel artist Dick Ayers. BACK ISSUE reached Ayers at his East Coast home in August 2007, fresh from a trip to San Diego, where he had been inducted at Comic-Con International into the Eisner Awards’ Comic Book Hall of Fame. Ayers is a World War II veteran in more ways than one. He served during WWII, and he’s no stranger to WWII comics, including Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandoes and Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen. Like Kubert, Ayers became known for his war comics. But that doesn’t mean they were his favorites. “I’m more comfortable doing war stories because I did so many of them,” says Ayers, “but I preferred doing monster stories, especially Jack Kirby’s.” Ayers remembers tough times professionally just before arriving at DC in the ’70s. “I was working as a security guard for General Foods for about nine months,” recalls Ayers. “I was just about ready to give up.” Then he called artist Neal Adams. “He said, ‘You come in to DC and see Sol Harrison,’” remembers Ayers. “So I took my work up to see Sol Harrison—the president of DC—and he said, ‘I don’t need to see your portfolio … I’ll get you a book in a month.’ I reported back to Neal and he said, ‘that’s not the way it’s supposed to happen.’ He said, ‘You go and see Joe Orlando.’ Joe said, ‘You have your head on straight. I’m giving you Kamandi.’ [Soon] I was doing Jonah Hex.” Ayers soon served his tour of duty drawing (as the “Unknown Soldier” splash page often exclaimed) “The Man No One Knows … Yet Is Known By Everyone!” Ayers continues, “I loved it because the Unknown Soldier could be so many things. It wasn’t like Sgt. Rock—the same thing every issue. One time, it was in a submarine, the next on the battlefield. I loved him; it was a great character.” Ayers’ favorite issue was scripted by Bob Haney: “A takeoff of the Pied Piper. Just the way that Bob handled it.” “I only met [Haney] when we happened to be in the office at the same time and when Jenette [Kahn, thenDC president] had these parties during Christmas time,” remembers Ayers. “I lived in White Plains, New York. Bob was further up the Hudson River. Bob wrote great scripts.” Unfortunately, missing from this list of Unknown Soldier’s visual visionaries is Frank Robbins the Artist. Unlike during his Marvel years, the imitable Robbins had the opportunity to spread his wings at DC by doing some writing. In the early ’70s, Robbins wrote Batman stories for Detective Comics, including a few

memorable ones (“Man-Bat Over Vegas,” “The Batman Nobody Knows”), and 11 issues of SSWS. Robbins switched to writing, reckons Kubert, because “…I guess it bites a lot of us [artists] in terms of wanting to handle the whole job. Every now and then, you want to do something different.” Romita spoke to BACK ISSUE on record in issue #20 regarding Robbins the Artist, but never about the other Frank Robbins—until now. “He was a legitimate genius in everything,” Romita tells this reporter. “He was writing, drawing, penciling, and inking Johnny Hazard. He would get finished on a Wednesday. And he’d come to Marvel and ask for work, see if there were any books or covers he could work on. I almost fell down. If I could have done Johnny Hazard, I would’ve been satisfied. This guy knocked it out. Johnny Hazard read like a novel.” While Robbins’ writing delivers formula Soldier for Sparling’s solid, if perfunctory, pictures, it might have been more tantalizing to the eyes to see Robbins pencil these panels. Like the Human Fly, White Tiger, and Union Jack, Unknown Soldier is aesthetically and anatomically perfect for the unsung draftsman—pure Robbinsville… In lieu of Robbins’ illustrations, one of the most fun artists to draw the Soldier (and my personal favorite) was Gerry Talaoc. His quasi-cartoony, economical art shared the same Milton Caniff DNA as Robbins, the polarizing loosy-goosy artist who attracted legion admirers and detractors (I proudly identify myself among the former) on another World War II book, The Invaders, for DC rival Marvel Comics. Talaoc’s art was a Frank Robbins Lite—not as anatomically flamboyant as Robbins’ characters—but watching Talaoc go to town certainly evokes characters and compositions as lively as those rendered in Robbins’ hand. Count Tony DeZuniga among Talaoc’s fans. “He used to assist Fred Carillo,” says DeZuniga, “but I think he is a lot better than Carillo.”

TM & © DC Comics.

Battle Scars (left) Kubert’s cover to Star Spangled War Stories #153 (Oct.–Nov. 1970), the Unknown Soldier’s third outing, teases the reader as to the war hero’s true appearance. TM & © DC Comics.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 43

The Write Stuff Blue-ballpoint, handwritten note on David Michelinie’s typed synopsis for the writer’s first Unknown Soldier story, “8,000 to One,” for Star Spangled War Stories #183 (Nov.–Dec. 1974). Michelinie jots down a few thoughts on a supporting character—a mole—who is brutally sacrificed by the Soldier in order to save the lives of 8,000 other Jews, in what turned out to be a complex story ripe with moral ambiguities. TM & © DC Comics.

In retrospect, Talaoc should be regarded as a preeminent “Unknown Soldier” artist. The draftsman penciled or inked some 79 Soldier adventures—beginning with David Michelinie’s first issue, #183 (Nov.–Dec. 1974, “8,000 to One”)—before jumping ship from DC to Marvel in 1982. At Marvel, Talaoc inked Daredevil, The Punisher, Conan the Barbarian, and Power Pack until the early ’90s, when he disappeared from comics altogether…

SOLDIER OF MISFORTUNE One of the most exciting cycles of Unknown Soldier comics came courtesy of David Michelinie, paired with visual thrillmeister Gerry Talaoc. Michelinie, a writer now best identified with Iron Man (including the classic “Demon in a Bottle” storyline) and The Amazing Spider-Man (think: Todd McFarlane, Venom) did some of his best work on the WWII battlefield. “I wrote a total of twenty ‘Unknown Soldier’ stories,” Michelinie tells BACK ISSUE, “in Star Spangled War Stories #183–192 and #194–203.” Indeed, Michelinie first wrote the strip shortly after its debut, beginning in 1974, when Michelinie was in his mid-twenties. “I had been working at DC for eight months,” Michelinie looks back, “writing mystery stories. Because of the whole EC thing, they couldn’t say ‘horror.’ House of Mystery, House of Secrets… I was working mainly for Joe [Orlando, editor of the mystery books]. Joe offered [‘Unknown Soldier’] to me because he thought I was doing okay with the shorter stuff. It was great. I tackled it with gusto.” Michelinie also tackled it with a high quotient of irony. “It was an interesting situation,” he recalls. “I was a product of the anti-war [movement]. It was ironic that my first series was a war book, but what better series to get a message across than in a war series. I wanted to show how horrible war is by showing what war did to people.”

44 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Although he read war stories as a kid, Michelinie boned up on his WWII, courtesy of a now-defunct periodical. “In the mid-’70s,” the writer recalls, “there was a magazine that came out—I think weekly—it was called WWII and it had a lot of articles and pictures. There were also some trips to the library, some books I had, movies—The Great Escape, The Dirty Dozen—might inspire a storyline or a character. Everything I did was historical fact, filtered with my imagination.” Last among his research materials: previous “Unknown Soldier” comics. “I’d only read a few issues,” Michelinie admits. At DC, Michelinie quickly realized his three career objectives: “My first goal was to sell a story. My second was to write a series. My third was to create a series [Claw the Unconquered]. Writing for DC, Michelinie had a few balls in the air: “It was wonderful. ‘Unknown Soldier’ was bimonthly and Swamp Thing was bimonthly … a horror book. I loved the variety. Superman, Batman were getting all the press, but I was having fun. I’d rather do [a variety] than do superhero, superhero, superhero.” Bonding over SSWS, Michelinie and his editor developed a close work relationship and a deep friendship. “When I was living in Queens, I was going into DC and [would] talk to Joe personally about the scripts and go over them,” says Michelinie. “When I moved to Upstate New York—Mahopac—I lived five minutes away from where Joe Orlando lived. I’d ride the train down to Manhattan with Joe. [We’d spend] an hour or so on the train shooting the breeze, talking comics and talking news … Joe was just fabulous. He was a great editor and a very interesting human being.” In the Unknown Soldier mythos, Michelinie/ Talaoc broke ground when they exposed the Soldier’s messed-up face, beginning with #183’s cover.

As discussed earlier, this was a turning point revelation for the character that transformed him from an ideal into a tragic hero, challenged by life to protect the lives of others. Michelinie was the first to really exploit the unbandaged Soldier and use his horrific disfigured face to great effect, scaring the bejezus out of Nazis like the Angel of Death (#183). There was also an issue in which the Soldier impersonates a Nazi commandant. When a “fellow” Nazi found the Soldier with his character mask removed, he assumes he was merely hiding his face because of his war wound (#184, Jan.–Feb. 1975, “A Sense of Obligation”). Michelinie says there were no qualms or discussions regarding the Soldier’s physical revelation. In fact, Orlando gave the young writer carte blanche. “I don’t recall any grief at all or not a lot of notice,” says Michelinie. “My impression is that no one was reading it at the time. I hope that I didn’t ruin it for Joe Kubert. I thought by showing him and what war did to his face would show the ravages of war. “Many writers had no interest in writing either horror or war stories,” continues Michelinie. “I jumped at it. You didn’t have fans at conventions coming up to you. Fans weren’t that interested. The sales, as I recalled, were solid. They weren’t great [but] they made their money back.” Of all of his SSWS work, Michelinie loves one story the most— his first one (#183, “8,000 to One”). Unknown Soldier, disguised as a Nazi commandant, is forced to put out for a Nazi who suspects him of being a traitor and kill a Jewish female agent in order to save 8,000 Danish Jews from being sent to concentration camps. It’s a wrenching choice. “The Unknown Soldier had to kill someone in cold blood,” explains Michelinie. “Shooting a woman in cold blood. Wow. He is the product of war. A hand grenade destroyed his life and here he wanted to destroy war back. He could save 8,000 people or one person. Superman would fly in and bounce the bullet off [his chest] in the last second, but in war, that doesn’t happen.” Another narrative that Michelinie is proud of: SSWS #192 (Oct. 1975, “Vendetta”). “The story was told in first-person narration,” he explains. “One sequence from one character’s first person to another first person. Technically, it was a great challenge. To this day, nobody has mentioned it, which means I pulled it off.” Another excellent story, “The Hero” (#185, Mar.–Apr. 1975), takes place in a Nazi hospital where they experiment on their captives. There’s one point at the climax where a Nazi doctor calls the Soldier “inhuman.” The word echoes as we see his victims—missing eyes and limbs from the experiments—gang up on the architect of their misery … the implication being that these victims will exact revenge. For Michelinie, writing the World War II exploits of “The Man No One Knows … Yet Is Known By Everyone!” was a tremendous opportunity. “I’m still grateful … I’m happy with the stories that came out of it,” surmises Michelinie. “It was enjoyable and satisfying … it was different. You could do any story, [unlike in] ‘Sgt. Rock’—espionage and beyond-the frontline stories. “The appeal to me is the ability to show war for what it was, show how war affected human beings, show how destroying war became his new reason for living—what the heck’s he going to do afterwards? Go to New York with a disfigured face? To show a very intense human side of what war meant to me. I think I was fairly successful at doing that.” Michelinie left DC for Marvel in 1978 as a result of creative differences. But he remains grateful for the twenty months he spent on SSWS. “We didn’t get a lot of letters. But Joe liked the stories and I liked the stories,” says Michelinie. “I remember I was at an industry party, and [writer] Len Wein came up to me to tell me he had enjoyed one of the issues. It was #199 (May 1976, “The Crime of Sgt. Schepke”),

Inhuman! Script page (submitted June 24, 1974) and completed page from David Michelinie’s “The Hero” story from SSWS #185 (Mar.–Apr. 1975). Art by Gerry Talaoc. TM & © DC Comics.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 45

and he said at the end there was a tear in his eye. I was like, ‘Wow! Len Wein enjoyed my work!’ I thought I had to be doing something good.” Gerry Talaoc illustrated all of Michelinie’s issues. “I was lucky in my early days that I got Gerry. He was the perfect artist,” says Michelinie, who also worked with Talaoc on The Phantom Stranger #35–36. “He got the intent. He was great, just terrific.” Sadly, Michelinie and Talaoc—partners-in-war-crime; victims of their isolating freelance professions as well as a great geographic divide— crossed paths only in print. “I did my plots, gave them to Joe Orlando,” says Michelinie. “He sent them to the Philipines, [then the art] came back. They were written as full scripts so all of my art directions were in there.” Adds Michelinie regarding Talaoc: “Never talked to him, never met him.”

THIS IS THE END… And it’s all over For the unknown soldier… The war is over…. – The Doors, “The Unknown Soldier,” 1968 Had the Unknown Soldier stuck with the moniker Star Spangled Comics and its original numbering, #269 would have marked the series’ 400th issue. [Editor’s note: The title ran for 130 issues as Star Spangled Comics, being rechristened Star Spangled War Stories for issues #131–133— then, what should have been Star Spangled War Stories #134 was renumbered #3, and the numbering continued from there. If that isn’t confusing enough, upon the success of its lead feature, SSWS was retitled The Unknown Soldier beginning with #205 (Apr.–May 1977).] Instead, The Unknown Soldier bit the bullet with #268 (Oct. 1982).

Across yet another classic Kubert cover for issue #268, a banner reads: “You Dare Not Miss the Final Epic Adventure of the Unknown Soldier.” Bet on it! Writer Haney and artists Ayers and Talaoc all rise to the occasion, bringing their A-game to a memorable, sublime final issue in which the Unknown Soldier kills his ultimate foe—Adolf Hitler! The book enters swinging with the Unknown Soldier touching down in Berlin by parachute on May 2, 1945. Unknown Soldier #268 fireballs into a rollicking thrill ride, following the incognito Soldier through guise after guise, through the sewers of Berlin (after he is caught on fire!). Beneath Berlin, the Soldier rests long enough to pay his last respects to a dying Chat Noir: “Yeah, I’m checking out! Can’t complain though … I’ve had a hell of a ride! … Go to Frenchy’s … in New Orleans! Have ’em play one chorus of ‘Didn’t He Ramble’… for the Big Cat! And tell the U.S. Army … they can take my sergeant’s stripes … and stick ’em … Unnnnhnnnn!” The Soldier then fights the Nazi commandant Kessler, defeating him and assuming his identity to infiltrate Hitler’s bunker (!!). The issue’s climax shows a disguised Soldier struggling with Hitler (as bride Eva Braun watches). Pointing a pistol, Hitler gains the advantage, nearly strangling him. But roused by his memories of Chat Noir and “remembering that the monster he battles is the murderer of millions, the ravager of mankind, the Soldier exerts every atom of his being” and he forces the nefarious dictator’s gun hand backward and shoots Hitler point blank in the face. Kapoww! “Good-bye, Satan!” spits the triumphant Unknown Soldier over the Fuhrer’s corpse. “May you burn in Hell until the last tick of eternity!” And not a moment too soon, as Hitler was about to unleash the deadly blood-draining biological experiment concocted by his German scientists known as Nosferatu, the resulting organism of sea octopi married with vampire-bat blood. (Hey, Adolf, be thankful—you met a grislier Bronze Age end in What If…? #4, drawn by Robbins, in which the Invaders’ Human Torch flambés your face!) The Unknown Soldier #268 did not merely signal the end of the series or WWII, but WWII comics. It was also a harbinger of winter for the careers of artists associated with war books—Ayers, Talaoc— after which work became sporadic. Tastes were changing. By decade’s end, computer programs changed the face of the industry. The Bronze Age of comics was over. The series finale proved an imaginative piece of revisionist history; a nice little fantasy of what should have happened. Alas, there was one battle the Soldier could not survive: weak sales. And yet, when Unknown Soldier went down in flames—taking down Hitler with it—the series definitely exited on a creative heil note!

RETURN TO SOLDIER, ADDRESS UNKNOWN As his series rapidly barreled toward its demise, the Unknown Soldier surfaced as a guest star in other DC series, most notably odd-couple pairings with the company’s two biggest characters. Never a comfortable fit among the vast DC universe of superheroes, the Soldier nevertheless got to play Oscar Madison to Superman’s Felix Unger in one book, and an ersatz Robin the Boy Wonder in another. The Brave and the Bold (B&B) #146 (Jan. 1979, “The Secret That Saved a World”) brought the Soldier into the Dark Knight’s fold. Cast in the role of writer was a familiar name to the Soldier’s fans—[B&B’s main scribe] Bob Haney. Filipino artist Romeo Tanghal penciled the issue, which saw the strange bedfellows back in Batman’s original epoch during early WWII, on the trail of a Nazi posing as a diplomat in America to attain nuclear secrets. Haney, who by the late ’70s knew the character inside-

Ride with the Valkyrie Our hero fights a fetching femme fatale on this original art page to Unknown Soldier #248 (Feb. 1981), signed by its penciler, Dick Ayers, and inked by Gerry Talaoc. Courtesy of Anthony Snyder (www.anthonysnyder.com). TM & © DC Comics.

46 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

out, knows how to bend the story to fan expectations, and this entertaining, albeit nonsensical, entry in the Unknown canon hits all the Soldier clichés. The story culminates where every classic Soldier tale does—Arlington National Cemetery, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier—but with a twist. It’s Memorial Day and the Nazi von Stauffen takes advantage of a holiday ceremony to retrieve nuclear secrets in the guise of a flower. In one of his most over-thetop disguises ever, Unknown Soldier impersonates wheelchair-bound FDR to pluck the “flower” from the pseudodiplomat’s lapel. When von Stauffen causes a scuffle, Batman and Unknown Soldier-as-FDR pounce on him. If this B&B dynamic duo seems odd, the out-of-place, out-of-time union of the Soldier with Superman in DC Comics Presents #42 (Feb. 1982, “The Specter of War”) made Thing and Deathlok in Marvel Two-in-One look as comfortable a pair of homeboys as Method Man and Redman! Drawn by the Irv Novick (artist on the Soldier’s third outing, SSWS #153, Oct.–Nov. 1970), the story saw the erstwhile Kal-El dealing with nuclear weapons in a lackluster story that smacked of Superman IV. The issue is a cheat, as our favorite bandaged super-soldier makes a fleeting, symbolic appearance in one panel. Making matters worse, the main feature is upstaged by the backup story, “Whatever Happened to the Sandman?”

IN SEARCH OF … GERRY TALAOC Not much has been written about Unknown Soldier artist extraordinaire Gerry Talaoc. Even in his heyday, the talented cartoonist did not command the fervent following in America that Filipino peers such as Alfredo Alcala and Nestor Redondo enjoyed. In 2004, Top Shelf’s Comic Book Artist #4, devoted itself to the “Filipino Invasion.” While fascinating and thorough, the issue did not have much about Talaoc beyond career highlights. So, whatever happened to him? After a month-long, worldwide hunt (via the Internet) that took us from Stockton, California, to one of Talaoc’s sons in the Philippines, to the Pacific Northwest, BACK ISSUE finally tracked down the elusive cartoonist at his residence in Juneau, Alaska, where, in an exclusive September 29, 2007 phone interview, Gerry Talaoc recalled his work on the WW II feature. Talaoc had known DeZuniga in the Philippines “before I worked for DC. “I work[ed] locally [in the Philippines] in 1963–1972,” Talaoc, in his broken English, tells BACK ISSUE, “and then I work[ed] through the studio of Tony DeZuniga. [Back in the Philippines,] I worked for several publications— short stories, love stories, comedy. I had my own publication.” Talaoc rode into the US comics market as part of the famous Filipino outsourcing initiated by DC’s editors. “They were looking for some artists in the Philippines. Most of the artists gave some samples. I had given some,” says Talaoc, who drew all his Soldier adventures without ever stepping foot in Manhattan … from his home in Quezon City. “I sent my work through the mail,” he says. “The first thing I worked for DC was through Tony DeZuniga. I sent my work to him and they sent my work to New York.” Initially, that work was “short stories”—Weird War Tales, House of Mystery. Business-related complications occurred, and Talaoc floated from DeZuniga’s studio to Redondo’s. So, is Talaoc a disciple of Milton Caniff, as appearances

No, Not That Dysart… (bottom left) The Brave and the Bold #146 (Jan. 1979), featuring Batman and the Unknown Soldier, ironically includes a character with a surname that anticipates Joshua Dysart, the writer who now holds the keys to the Unknown Soldier kingdom. Cover art (top left) by Jim Aparo, interior art by Romeo Tanghal and Frank McLaughlin. (inset) The Rich Buckler/Frank Giacoia cover to DC Presents #42 (Feb. 1982), co-starring Superman and the Unknown Soldier. (below) The only panel in that issue picturing the Soldier, who is featured solely as a symbolic presence in the story. Art by Irv Novick and Frank McLaughlin. TM & © DC Comics.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 47

Sneaking Up on “Herr Mustache” The last panel’s floating head cues in the reader that this Nazi officer is actually our hero in disguise! Page 6 of Unknown Soldier #262 (Apr. 1982), penciled by Dick Ayers and inked by Gerry Talaoc. Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.

Talaoc is proud of his footnote in Unknown Soldier history. “It’s great,” he admits, “because I am the first artist to do his face. I have my own expression for his face.” Surprisingly, Talaoc was not given illustrations but photos as reference for the unmasked Soldier. “[A] mask that looked like a skull—maybe I did it in my own style to make it more appealing to the reader and they approved it,” says Talaoc. Ever the gentleman, Talaoc does not place his Soldier work above other gigs. “I don’t have any favorites,” Talaoc says diplomatically. “I like all the titles that were given to me.”

suggest? When BACK ISSUE posed the question, this reporter assumed Talaoc was a Caniff descendant in the tradition of Robbins, Lee Elias, and Frank Springer. However, Talaoc’s response was a shocker: He had no idea who Caniff was. Instead, he cited as his chief influence “the artist who did Johnny Hazard”— in other words, Robbins! (Talaoc also digs Alex Raymond). Talaoc enjoyed his work most when penciling and inking his own stuff. Laying down the finishes on such artists as Ayers on “Soldier” sometimes worked out less smoothly. “I had to change the proportion,” he remembers. “I was told to correct the drawings. It was not good. It was a lot of work but it’s okay.” Talaoc speaks glowingly of Michelinie. “Every story, I enjoyed…” says Talaoc. “The writer—David— was great. They gave me space, no text on whole page … no dialogue, [space for] just my art.” Talaoc understood the full scripts sent overseas to him by Orlando because “I have no problem in reading or writing [English], only in talking.” Following Soldier’s demise, Talaoc jumped ship to Marvel, thanks to patron editor Carl Potts, who had migrated to Marvel from DC. Talaoc inked Sal Buscema and Mike Mignola on The Incredible Hulk and remained at Marvel until 1993. He could not continue cartooning in his native land because the once-flourishing comics field was no more. “Comics in the Philippines were down already,” Talaoc laments. “No comics industry. It was done.” Ironically, it was recently, in 2005, that Talaoc came to America, where he now works as a Juneau, Alaska, municipal employee and draws in his spare time. 48 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Despite cancellation, the Unknown Soldier keeps returning for another tour of duty. Swamp Thing #82 (Jan. 1989) revealed that DC’s über-soldier survived WWII, but his superiors officially declared him dead so that his existence would remain classified. Several series reimagining the character appeared soon after. The Unknown Soldier (1988–1989), a 12-issue limited series by Jim Owsley and Phil Gascoine, made the Soldier immortal, unpatriotic, and cynical—reflecting the post-Dark Knight Returns gloom that descended on all comics. Garth Ennis and Kilian Plunkett’s 1997 Unknown Soldier miniseries for DC/Vertigo centered on a CIA agent tracing Unknown Soldier’s post-war activities as he searched for his replacement. On Free Comic Book Day 2007, this writer ran into writer Joshua Dysart at the Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach, California. Dysart mentioned that he was about to embark on a trip to Africa to research his next series. Three months later, Dysart revealed at Comic-Con International that the assignment was Vertigo’s 2008 series Unknown Soldier, reincarnating the character as a Ugandan guerilla fighter. Like the Unknown Soldier, his identity, with each issue—each series— is fluid; never static. Just when you think you know who the Soldier is, he becomes someone else … and disappears … only to resurface again when we need him most. Unknown Soldier was a concept that never stopped evolving from creative team to team. “The idea for what I had for it was not what it was when I started,” says Kubert. “I was sorry it was changed. I was not sorry that I started it … I was proud of the book when I was doing it.” So was Kubert unhappy with the subsequent Unknown Soldier comics? “I haven’t followed it after I left the book so I can’t really comment on it,” Kubert responds. “Well, you know,” BACK ISSUE informs him, “in the very last issue, he kills Hitler.” Bursts Kubert with a hearty laugh, “Good for him!” MICHAEL AUSHENKER is a Los Angeles-based writer and cartoonist. His comic books include the El Gato, Crime Mangler series, Cartoon Flophouse, and Those Unstoppable Rogues. Visit cartoonflophouse.com.

TM & © DC Comics.

YOU CAN’T KEEP A GOOD SOLDIER DOWN

Talaoc’s Unknown Soldier Revisited After he was located by BACK ISSUE, Gerry Talaoc created this new Unknown Soldier just for this issue. You’ve still got it, Gerry! TM & © DC Comics.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 49

Writer/artist George Pratt’s Enemy Ace: War Idyll was released by DC Comics in 1990 to great critical acclaim. While the book’s painted artwork set new standards for graphic novels, it is the story’s connection made between Hans von Hammer, Germany’s “Enemy Ace” of World War I, and an American reporter who has recently done a tour in Vietnam that make this book a powerful read. In the course of the story, the two find they aren’t as different as they might think. Both know what it is like to fight in a war and about the horrors a solider encounters in conflict. More importantly, both men know the greatest challenge a man faces because of war: making it out alive when so many others do not, and learning to live with being a survivor. – Dan Johnson DAN JOHNSON: George, please tell the readers how Enemy Ace: War Idyll came about. GEORGE PRATT: As a kid, I was a huge war comics fan. The reason I was a DC guy was because, for one, they had Batman, but second, they had Sgt. Rock and all the war comics. [I liked the] Joe Kubert and Russ Heath material and I was into their interpretation of Sgt. Rock, and I was a big fan of [Robert] Kanigher’s writing as well. After graduation, I was casting about trying to find illustration work and at that time I was helping Jon J Muth on Moonshadow. He would call when he was behind the eight ball and say, “Hey, I’m really late. You want to try to help me finish this issue?” He would give me a train ticket to upstate New York and I would go up to his place and over the weekend we would just crank out one of those issues of Moonshadow in watercolor. JOHNSON: So you got some hands-on training there… PRATT: That really convinced me that I could do the amount of work needed to actually put out a graphic novel. One of the first jobs that I got out of school was working for Eagle, which was Harris Publications’ kind of Solider of Fortune-type magazine. I had gone in trying to get work at Creepy and Eerie, which they had just brought back. Tony Dispoto was heading that up at the time. He wasn’t interested in my comics work, but I had done a painting of an American solider in Vietnam and he liked that a lot. The reason I had done that painting was because I wanted to understand for myself why that war had happened. From 1960 until I was 14 or 15 years old, that war was going on and I never really understood the cause or the whys or the wherefores [of it]. I started reading a lot of books about the war and I got into the visual aspects of it. Tony said, “We don’t have any comics work, but if you like, I can show this to the editor over at Eagle and maybe you can do some war stuff.” So, he showed it to the editor of Eagle, Jim Morris, [who hired me]. The magazine only came out every other month, but he gave me enough work for each month. I kind of became his pet artist. He would give me a painting to do, plus three or four panels that would go with an article. The more I did of that, the more I wanted to try and say something of my own. One day, Morris said, “You should really talk to some of these guys and get their perspectives.” Jim himself was a three-tour Green Beret and wrote a book about it called War Diary, as well as some

Bringing Enemy Ace to Life George Pratt used an aged man named Vincent as the model for his interpretation of WWI flying ace Hans von Hammer. Enemy Ace TM & © DC Comics.

50 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Dan Johnson

conducted April 23, 2009

science-fiction novels. I see Jim every once in a while on the History Channel. He is one of the guys they call upon as a specialist. He said, “Why don’t you come down to the office and you can use the company phone and I can give you some names and phone numbers of these guys.” JOHNSON: So you started speaking with veterans? PRATT: I did that one day. I made a few phone calls to these people Jim knew and they started telling me what they felt and what they thought about their own experiences in Vietnam. That convinced me more than ever that I really wanted to try and put something together of my own, but I really didn’t know how to approach it. I had read all of the Kanigher and Kubert and Heath and Ric Estrada material, but I didn’t want to do anything that would be construed as a glorification of war. I wanted to try and tackle the war stuff and make it as real as I could. I was digging through my old comics and I came across one of my old “Enemy Ace” books [in DC’s Star Spangled War Stories] and I thought this could be a great counterpoint to the Vietnam War. I had been reading about the guys who had been tunnel rats and thought Enemy Ace would be a nice contrast because here was this guy who was in the air and in the open and these other guys were confined in the tunnels. The more I read on the two wars, the more I saw there were a lot of similarities. In World War I, while there was this great, obvious support for that war, but there were a lot of people who were not behind it. Some of them paid a really heavy price and were executed and others were put in jail for being conscientious objectors. The interesting thing was that when I started reading more about World War I, Vietnam almost took a back seat because the stories I was reading came from a lot of firsthand memoirs, and they were so powerful, and in some ways so understated, that my mind just took off. There was this underlying sense of the writers not being able to grasp the whole thing and not really understanding it, but still being so moved and changed by it. The First World War was always dogging my steps as a kid in a weird way and I never thought about it until I started reading all of this stuff. Looking back, I can see that there was this thread through my life. My grandfather was in World War I, and then my high school English teacher was the model who posed for the Howard Chandler Christy poster of the woman dressed as a sailor with the caption, “Gee!! I wish I was a man, I’d join the Navy!!” The first piano piece I ever learned as a kid was a World War I song, “The Caissons Go Rolling Along.” It was weird, like [these connections with World War I] were always there, but I never really noticed it. The first real artist I ever met, Phyllis Lee, is convinced that I died in the trenches or something like that and I’m slowly starting to remember this past life. JOHNSON: So this made Enemy Ace right up your alley. PRATT: With Enemy Ace, I figured this was a character with whom I could really take my idea and run with, if DC would ever allow it since it seemed that professionals were mostly the fans of that comic. So, I played around with this idea for a number of years and never really believed that DC would allow me to do this thing. It just became this fun little thing for myself. I would pull it out and write on it and sketch on it. I kept two big sketchbooks where I was trying to learn how to draw the First World War and I had been building up a library of World War I reference material. I was living in New York at the time and Scott Hampton would come up and hang out for weeks at a time. One time while he was up he said, “I’m going to be over at Rick Bryant’s in the city. Bring all that Ace stuff

Beginnings: Assisting Jon J Muth on Moonshadow (Marvel, 1987)

Milestones: Enemy Ace: War Idyll / Sgt. Rock Special / Batman: Harvest Breed / Wolverine: Netsuke (2003 Eisner Award winner)/ covers and pinups for numerous series including Akira, Animal Man, Batman, Detective Comics, Marvel Comics Presents, and The Spectre / paintings exhibited in galleries in New York and Houston

Works in Progress: Teaching art students / “Paroles de Poilu” for a French album

Cyberspace: www.georgepratt.com

George Pratt

Trial and Error Page layouts from War Idyll didn’t come easy. “I would do anywhere from five to 10 different versions [of each page] trying to zero in on the best way to tell the story,” says Pratt. Enemy Ace TM & © DC Comics.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 51

[you’ve done] with you.” I took it all up to Rick’s studio and when I got there, Scott asked, “Is this all of it?” I said it was and he said, “Cool.” Then he grabbed it all and ran. He said, “I’m going to DC! If you want to be there when it lands, follow me!” So, we went into DC and he got Andy Helfer to look at it. Helfer was like, “Oh, my God! We’ve got to do this!” And that was it. The ball was rolling. That day, DC was like, “We’re going to do this,” and it freaked me out. All of a sudden, this wasn’t just mine anymore and I was going to have to put up or shut up. It was really scary. The longest thing I had ever done story-wise was seven or eight pages for Heavy Metal. DC started the legal wheels and it took them a year to get me a contract. They didn’t want me to go off and do something else, so they asked if I wanted to do cover work. They were just keeping me busy because I refused to work on Enemy Ace until they got me a contract. JOHNSON: How long did you work on this graphic novel from the time it was conceived until it was finally published? PRATT: I probably started farting around with the idea in 1986 and the true work began in 1987 or 1988. It took me three years to do the artwork on the book and the writing went surprisingly quick. I cranked the dialogue out in a weekend or two. Scott Hampton was up visiting, and he and I would turn the tape recorder on and just speak loads of dialogue that would fit the imagery. Andy Helfer was a really good writer himself, and as an editor, he really watchdogged the writing on that project. Scott is a really excellent writer, and he contributed quite a bit to this as well. A lot of people really bent over backwards to help make this book a success. JOHNSON: I understand that Herb Trimpe went above and beyond getting you into the spirit to do this project. PRATT: Going up and working with J on Moonshadow allowed me to meet a lot of artists in upstate New York. Through J I met Bernie Wrightson, Barry [Windsor-] Smith, and Dan Green. Herb Trimpe was up there, too, but I had not met him yet. Everyone said that Trimpe had a biplane. When I did meet Herb, he said, “You know, you should really let me take you up in my plane so you know what this really feels like.” I was like, “Oh, yeah, man! Absolutely, let’s do it!” So Kent Williams and his ex-wife, Sherri, J, and I got together and all went up to Herb’s and he took us all up individually. His plane was a two-seater Stearman trainer from World War II. Herb had flown during Vietnam in the weather service, which is pretty hellacious flying because they did things like flying into hurricanes. [In Herb’s plane,] you sat in the front seat of this old trainer and he sat in the back. It was so loud you couldn’t talk, so Herb had a mirror posted above your head so he could make

Aerial POV (top) Layouts for a dogfight sequence that Pratt “paneled out and threw some watercolor on. I kept the panels consistent, size-wise, so I would just concentrate on what was happening inside them. Like a movie. Really just an exercise, but I like what I got out of it.” (bottom) George (front) takes a biplane ride with artist Herb Trimpe, who’s no stranger to WWI-based comics, having drawn Marvel’s Phantom Eagle. Enemy Ace TM & © DC Comics.

52 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Behind the Scenes (top left) A page layout, with watercolor. (top right) Pratt’s color sketch for the cover. His oil painting used as the printed cover (see inset of next page) measured six feet in height. (bottom left) Among the artist’s earliest attempts at drawing Enemy Ace, “done before I ever took anything in to DC. I was still unsure, in the beginning, whether it should be painted or not. After doing these pieces I decided that watercolor was the best way to approach the art. Watercolors were easy for me, I enjoyed them immensely. I enjoyed pen and ink, too, but I was much more consistent with my watercolors. I also felt that the watercolors lent the art more realism.” (bottom right) Pratt’s loose page layouts. Enemy Ace TM & © DC Comics

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 53

The Man Behind Ace (left) One of George Pratt’s many sketches of Vincent, the visual inspiration for the older von Hammer. Says the artist, “I really enjoyed drawing him so I looked for any excuse to do more of them.” (right) Vincent, as photographed by Pratt. Very special thanks to George Pratt for providing the rare art and photographs for this interview. Enemy Ace TM & © DC Comics.

TM & © DC Comics.

gestures to communicate with you. We were up in the Catskill Mountains and I had my camera with me [to get some firsthand reference photos]. Herb took off and flew through the mountains and did some power dives and things like that to give me a sense of what flying in a plane like that was really like. It was incredible. Herb said he had a buddy who also had an airplane and that if he was there we could have done some mock dogfights. JOHNSON: Sounds like you snagged some great reference material from that experience. Speaking of which, who were some of the models you used for this project? PRATT: John Van Fleet posed for the young Enemy Ace and Mark Chiarello was the reporter. [When you’re an artist,] all your friends get pulled into service. I don’t think Kent Williams was in there, but he did three pages of sequential painted work on the book based on my layouts and references. The old man who posed for old Ace, I think he died before the book even came out. I was in [Brooklyn’s] Park Slope at the time, and originally I went to several nursing homes in Brooklyn trying to find an interesting, cool old man to play this part. I actually did find someone I was keen on using in my neighborhood, and he was really into it and he liked the idea. It turned out he had been a soldier in World War II and he started to tell me his experiences during the war. When I called back later to get him to do this, the nurse I spoke to said, “He can’t do this. He’s having flashbacks because you brought up all this stuff.” So, I couldn’t use him. [In my neighborhood,] there was this little old man who, whenever I would walk down to a restaurant or go to the bank, was off to the side selling odd bits of junk. I hit him up one day and I said, “Man, I would love for you to pose for this character,” and I explained it to him. He was just this shy, little old guy and he was like, “No, I don’t think so.” But every time I would see him, he would ask, “Did you find anybody?” And I would tell him, “Nope, I’m waiting for you.” Finally he agreed. It was interesting because he was this shy, unassuming guy and yet in the film, when I shot the reference photos, he just assumed this other stature. He just seemed stronger and became this more robust man. It was nothing like what he was in real life. JOHNSON: Enemy Ace: War Idyll was a project that resonated with readers. What kind of feedback have you gotten regarding the book since it was first published? PRATT: The feedback has always been positive and supportive. I got a lot of letters from vets from various wars, but especially the Second World War and Vietnam.

54 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

The book came out right at the start of the first Gulf War and I had a couple of people write me who were helping to design some of the weapons that were being used, like the smart bombs. One wrote, “I wish I could bring in enough copies to hand out to everyone who works here because we get so caught up in building our little toys, we forget what kind of an impact these weapons are going to have on people, and not just the victims, but the people who are using these weapons.” One young guy, and I can’t recall if he was on a battleship or a destroyer, but he was on a ship where a gun turret blew up and killed everybody in it. This guy wrote me that he was supposed to be in that turret, but he had something else he needed to do, so he wasn’t there. All his friends were killed. He told me that the book helped him deal with the grief and the guilt that he felt being the one who survived. JOHNSON: My dad fought in World War II and he was from that generation where men never discussed their feelings, no matter what kind of angst they might be carrying. You can’t go through something where you are fighting for your life and the lives of your friends around you and come out of it the same person you were when you came in. I think a book like yours helps to show survivors that they aren’t alone in dealing with the emotions that come from surviving a war. PRATT: When I started working on Enemy Ace, the first thing I did was ask if I could get Joe Kubert’s phone number. He was one of the gods and I wanted to show him what I was doing and get his blessing for the project and also to pick his brain about his history in comics. One of the things he told me was, “You’re going to run the risk of catching a lot of sh*t for this because you’re not a solider. You’re trying to tell people what a solider feels and thinks, so just be aware and do your homework.” And I did. I read so much and spoke to so many people. It was gratifying to hear from soldiers and they felt like I had tapped into what they were feeling and I had presented it in a faithful way and it wasn’t done in a talking down to or a condescending way, but presented the reality of war. JOHNSON: Tell us about the honor that was bestowed upon the book at West Point. PRATT: At one time it was on their required reading list. I always wondered about that because the book is anti-war, although it isn’t anti-solider. That was really wild. I had a friend who was buddies with one of the professors at West Point, and he asked if he had ever heard of my book. The professor told him about it being on the required reading list. That was pretty cool.

Ian Millsted

In the summer of 1975, Marvel Comics put out two new Giant-Size titles featuring superhero teams. Both were new variations of older series, but while Giant-Size X-Men went on to an ongoing series that eventually topped the sales charts and spun off into multiple titles and media formats, Giant-Size Invaders, despite featuring established characters, launched a title that ran only 41 issues before being canceled. However, the series is still fondly remembered by many. In the letters page—or, more accurately, text page— of that Giant-Size issue, Roy Thomas wrote that he had been waiting thirty years to do the title: “Stan [Lee] invited me to come up with a new title or two I’d like to start, write and edit. I thought about it overnight— and that’s all it took. The idea just fell into place, as if it had been there all along just waiting for me to stumble over it. I’d do the kind of superhero group I’d always wanted to find in those old wartime comics, but rarely did—and I’d do it with (inevitably, unavoidably) a 1970s perspective.”

(NOT SO) STRANGE INVADERS Giant-Size Invaders #1 (June 1975) was written by Roy Thomas with art by the team of Frank Robbins and Vince Colletta, although the cover was inked by John Romita, Sr., over Robbins. The story, naturally, tells how the team of Captain America and Bucky, the Sub-Mariner, and the Human Torch and Toro comes together in December 1941 to fight against the Axis enemy, in the form of new villain Master Man. Frank Robbins’ art, described by Roy Thomas as “slightly offbeat,” and the introductory nature of the script give a reading experience closer in tone to the Captain America stories set in World War II featured in Tales of Suspense in the 1960s than the 1970s’ perspective mentioned above. Two other aspects of the Giant-Size issue which would return in the ongoing series that followed were the use of Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill in cameos and the appearance of reprints from the Golden Age. In this case, the latter is in the form of a “Sub-Mariner” story by Bill Everett.

Axis Smashers Captain America, Sub-Mariner, and the original Human Torch show the Nazis who’s boss on Jazzy Johnny Romita’s original cover artwork to The Invaders #1 (Aug. 1975). Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). © 2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 55

The next-issue box promised a second issue of Giant-Size Invaders featuring another 30-page main story and a “Human Torch” reprint backup. The suggestion was that this would be the continuing format on a bimonthly basis. However, while the bimonthly schedule was kept, the format was changed to that of an ongoing regular Marvel title. The creative team of Thomas/Robbins/Colletta was also retained. The Invaders #1 (Aug. 1975) contained the first part of a longer story that had been produced with the Giant-Size format in mind. “The Ring of the Nebulas” is a curious attempt to bring Wagner’s Ring cycle into comics form. (Thomas was to do this again, more successfully, in Thor and especially in the straight adaptation, The Ring of the Niebelung. The latter featured some of Gil Kane’s best art of his later years.) In this case, the Teutonic gods turn out to be aliens when the story is concluded in Invaders #2 (Oct. 1975). Issues #3 (Nov. 1975) and 4 (Jan. 1976) used the backdrop of the U-Boat raids on merchant shipping to introduce new villain U-Man. Perhaps I’m influenced by #4 being the first issue I actually came across, bought, and read (the Giant-Size issue was not generally distributed in Britain and I didn’t get to the only local shop that stocked US Marvel titles often enough to see #’s 1–3), but this seemed to be where the series started to hit its stride. Frank Robbins’ art, being somewhat different from the Marvel house style of the time, suited the series well. He drew the hardware of war expertly and the characters’ faces allowed for a range of expressions often absent in superhero comics. When the characters were running, jumping, or even flying they looked like they were using the right set of muscles. At the same time the action and detail were all in the foreground and the sometimes-criticized Vince Colletta did a fine job inking. The action moves quickly with plenty of humor along the way. There is even a one-panel gag with Winston Churchill that acts as a plug for the short-lived Marvel title Skull the Slayer. A new art team of pencilers Rich Buckler and Dick Ayers, plus embellisher Jim Mooney, came on board for a four-part story starting in #5 (Mar. 1976) and crossing over into Marvel Premiere. When the Red Skull manages to turn Captain America, Sub-Mariner, the Human Torch, and Toro into pro-Nazi puppets, Bucky is left to look for further allies. This issue also has the entertaining conceit of showing the two younger members of the team reading about themselves in the Timely comics of the day, and pointing out inaccuracies. While this might be an example of the postmodern in comics, it was really a device to allow Roy Thomas to pick and choose what he wanted to be canon from the Timely era. 56 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

First Strikes (left) Roy Thomas’ Invaders made their debut (sort of) in The Avengers #71 (Dec. 1969); cover art by Sal Buscema and Sam Grainger. (center) The Allied Aces’ series premiere occurred in Giant-Size Invaders #1 (June 1975); cover art by Frank Robbins and John Romita, Sr. (right) Invaders Annual #1 (1977) tied in to Avengers #71 and featured this amazing cover by Golden Age great Alex Schomburg. © 2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

GIVE ME LIBERTY The cover of Marvel Premiere #29 (Apr. 1976) features new team, the Liberty Legion. Although continuing from Invaders #5, the story— by Thomas and with art by the team of Don Heck and Colletta— tells of the formation of a new team of heroes. This had been planned even before The Invaders launched. As Roy Thomas explained in the text page: “Even before Giant-Size Invaders went on sale, I was already hard at work on a couple of try-out issues of a second WWII title, to be composed of some of the lesser superheroes from the Timely comics of the period.” Those heroes were the Patriot, Red Raven, Miss America, the Whizzer, the Thin Man, Jack Frost, and Blue Diamond. The Whizzer and Miss America were familiar to 1970s Marvel readers from Thomas-scripted Giant-Size Avengers, and Red Raven had appeared in X-Men. Frank Robbins returned to art duties, still inked by Colletta, on Invaders #6 (May 1976), wherein the Liberty Legion fought the Red Skull-controlled Invaders. The story concludes in Marvel Premiere #30 (June 1976) by Thomas, Heck, and Colletta, and also includes a text page listing all the Golden Age appearances of the members of the Liberty Legion. Once the Red Skull’s plan has failed and the Invaders are freed from his control, it is established that the Liberty Legion will operate on the home front while the Invaders return to Europe. Back in Britain in Invaders #7 (July 1976), the new villain, Baron Blood, allowed artist Robbins to show his strengths. The dynamic sense of movement he puts in allows Blood to appear powerful

What’s Up with U, Man? “The greatest superheroes of World War Two” tangle with U-Man and his undersea forces in this original cover art to Invaders #4 (Jan. 1976), penciled by the one-and-only Jack Kirby and inked by Frank Giacoia. Courtesy of Heritage. © 2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

yet slightly emaciated at the same time, which is wholly appropriate for a vampire character. Also introduced in this issue were Lord Falsworth and his daughter Jacqueline. As Dorothy L. Sayers knew when she created Lord Peter Wimsey, everyone loves a Lord. While it seems a pity that a castleowning peer and his aristocratic offspring are the first real British support cast in the series, despite not being particularly representative of Britain in the 1940s the Falsworths prove to be interesting characters. It could also be pointed out that the long-running (1974–1986) British weekly war comic Warlord starred an even more clichéd fighting peer, so the stereotyping wasn’t limited to US comic creators. Lord Falsworth was also revealed to be the retired World War I secret agent Union Jack. One panel even shows him to have been part of a short-lived hero group Freedom’s Five in the latter days of that war—the other members having included the Phantom Eagle. This was meant as an in-joke but received positive response. Baron Blood was shown to be John Falsworth, brother of the peer and an exaggerated example of the Nazi sympathizers that existed in small numbers among Britain’s landed class. With Invaders #8 (Sept. 1976), Frank Springer joined the art team as inker. The splash page to issue #8 showed Robbins and Springer to be well matched with a wealth of detail enlivening what could have been a fairly dull domestic scene. Much of the rest of the issue is a flashback Union Jack story set in World War I and featuring the first clash with Baron Blood, as well as a cameo appearance by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George to follow the tradition already set by the appearances of Churchill and FDR. The story continues directly into #8 (Oct. 1976), with Union Jack all set to come out of retirement and join the Invaders. Although none of the protagonists work out the all-too-obvious secret identity of Baron Blood, the story is atmospheric and entertaining. Blood proves a true villain, with incestuous desires on his niece to add to his vampirism and fascist tendencies. He is thwarted but only after serious injury to Union Jack, which prevents Jack from becoming part of the Invaders. By now the series was doing well enough to go on a monthly schedule, which necessitated a fill-in issue, #10 (Nov. 1976). A three-page framing sequence surrounded a reprint from Captain America Comics #22 (Jan. 1943). Perhaps the art team was still trying to catch up with Invaders #11 (Dec. 1976), which looks rushed in places. The story is transitional, developing a romantic subplot involving the Human Torch/Jacqueline Falsworth/ Captain America. A routine villain by the name of Blue Bullet is quickly dispatched, and Jacqueline receives the powers which enable her to become

Spitfire (a character seen, as of this writing in summer 2009, in Captain Britain and MI:13). Incidentally, the original plan was for Jacqueline Falsworth to become a new Union Jack (or Union Jaq), but “in sketches he did for his own use, Roy discovered that the female torso just didn’t fit well into the Union Jack costume,” as revealed on the letters page of Invaders #15). The name Spitfire came from Frank Robbins. Although not part of the series, it is worth mentioning the three-part story that appeared in Fantastic Four Annual #11 (1976), Marvel Two-in-One Annual #1 (1976), and Marvel Two-in-One #20 (Oct. 1976). John Buscema drew the first part while Sal Buscema provided the art for the Two-in-One episodes as the Thing traveled back to 1942 New York to team up with the Liberty Legion against the Skyshark, Master Man, U-Man, and Brain Drain. Along the way he meets a young John Romita. Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 57

SPECIAL GUEST STARS AND ARTISTS The two-part story in Invaders #12 and 13 (Jan. and Feb. 1977) put the focus on events in occupied Poland. The two Franks are back on form and seemed to enjoy drawing Spitfire in action. The story set in the Warsaw ghetto keeps the story at a human level with the conflicts of duty and responsibility brought to the fore. The main villain, the Face, is somewhat comical and overly keen to use his riding whip on the captive Invaders, but the introduction of the Golem character is interesting and had the potential to be developed further. [Editor’s note: See last issue for a look at the Golem.] Another two-parter, in Invaders #14 and 15 (Mar. and Apr. 1977), introduces another new team, the Crusaders. The splash page to issue #14 is another fine piece of work by Robbins. The latest of several stories to open with a aerial scene, Robbins includes plenty of technical detail and action to get things started. This is followed by a gun battle between a crashed German air crew and the British Home Guard—all in the first four pages. The subsequent arrival of the Crusaders was possibly one new team too many. This new team was made up of five British superheroes and one lone American, the Spirit of ’76. Curiously, they use metric measures in their speech several decades before Britain adopted that system. Even today, while metric measurements are used in academic and official circles, the man in the street is as likely to use yards and inches as meters and centimeters. King George VI joined the wartime leaders who appear briefly, and in this case manages to survive an assassination attempt involving an explosive device hidden in a champagne bottle that the king is to use to launch the H.M.S. Hornblower. These two issues also see the admittedly very mild expletives “bloody” and “ruddy” used several times. I doubt anyone was ever offended, but this was unusual in Marvel comics of the time. Although not actually published next, the first and only Invaders Annual (1977) followed, according to internal chronology. This was something special. Joining the regular art team of the two Franks were three artists who had worked on the characters in the 1940s. Alex Schomburg, who was something of a specialist cover artist in the 1940s in the way that someone like Brian Bolland or Alex Ross is today, produced the art for a Human Torch chapter as well as the cover. His first cover for Marvel for thirty years was particularly good. Don Rico drew the Captain America chapter, thus returning to a character he had drawn in the 1940s and, apart from an overly cartoony Hitler, managed to evoke a nicely eerie atmosphere. The Sub-Mariner chapter was drawn by Lee Elias (with inks by Frank Springer), who had previously drawn the character in the mid-to-late 1940s. The story is partly a crossover with an Avengers story of eight years prior (#71) and perhaps overly contrived as a result, but the real point here was seeing the three vintage artists at work. “It was a lot of trouble—but blamed if I don’t almost think it was worth it!” Roy Thomas said in the text page. He expanded on this later: “Perhaps our proudest original-material accomplishment.” Another multi-part story commenced in Invaders #16 (May 1977). Jim Mooney replaced Frank Robbins as artist for the first part, which started off with the capture by Nazi agents of an American

A Robbins Crusade (top) Frank Robbins’ artwork elicited either love or hate reactions from 1970s comics readers. You be the judge when examining this page, inked by Frank Springer, from The Invaders #14 (March 1977). Featured are Spitfire, the Invaders’ add-on member, and the new team the Crusaders. (inset) Cover artists Gil Kane and Joe Sinnott unveil the lethal, leggy lady Warrior Woman on their cover to The Invaders #17 (June 1977), while that issue’s splash page (bottom), by Franks Robbins and Springer, features Master Man and Adolf Hitler himself! Original art from Heritage. © 2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

58 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

soldier called Biljo White. In our real world, White was a talented artist and producer of fanzine comics, and a friend of Roy Thomas. Here the name was used for a character who was a comic-book artist on a character called Major Victory, whose origin bears a striking similarity to that of Captain America. In an attempt to rescue White, the Invaders fly into Germany where they face Master Man, Adolf Hitler, and, in Invaders #17 (June 1977), Warrior Woman. I was ten years old when I first read this story and would have had no concept of the word “dominatrix,” but I was still aware that there was something “different”’ about the whip-wielding, jackbooted Warrior Woman. Invaders #18 introduces the Mighty Destroyer as a new variation on another old Timely-era character. The Destroyer was revealed to be Brian Falsworth, son and heir of Lord Falsworth and, by the end of the story, the new Union Jack. That issue also contained a letter from Richard Burton, later to become editor of long-running British comic 2000 A.D. Deadlines caught up with the two Franks, resulting in #20 and 21 (Sept. and Oct. 1977) being shorter stories with backup Golden Age reprints (“SubMariner” by Bill Everett). These two issues completed a story that had plenty of action, twists, and humor.

GLOBAL GUARDIANS Jim Mooney replaced Frank Robbins again for Invaders #22 (Nov. 1977), which is a flashback story about the Human Torch and Toro fighting the villain Asbestos Lady. The team switches locations to Egypt for issue #23 (Dec. 1977). Against the backdrop of the desert war, the Invaders tackle the Sons of the Scarab and the Scarlet Scarab, who are presented as nationalists seeing a German victory as being more to Egypt’s advantage than continued British influence. After a reprint issue (#24), the story concludes in Invaders #25 (Feb. 1978). The theme of discrimination against JapaneseAmericans, and the relocation centers that were a part of that discrimination, is investigated in Invaders #26 (Mar. 1978). This started a three-part story that also touched on the status of African-Americans at the time. By the time the story reached the concluding part in Invaders #28 (May 1978), a new teen hero group—the Kid Commandos, consisting of Bucky, Toro, Nisei-Japanese Golden Girl, and AfricanAmerican Human Top—had been formed. A new creative team arrived with Invaders #29 (June 1978). Don Glut came on board as writer with new penciler Alan Kupperberg, while Frank Springer remained on inks. “My friend Roy Thomas,” explains Don Glut, “who had moved from New York to California, was perusing movie scriptwriting work. And so he had to give up some of his comics workload, including The Invaders. Roy knew I liked the old Golden Age heroes. And he also knew I could use the work. So he asked and I jumped at the chance to write the book. I mean, there I was, suddenly guiding the lives of the original Captain America, Sub-Mariner, and Human Torch, among so many other GA characters.” Kupperberg’s art is smoother than Robbins’ but lacks some of its technical detail. Roy Thomas remained as editor. Glut saw himself working more for Thomas than for Marvel. The new creative team stayed on for Invaders #30 (July 1978), which concluded a two-part story. Invaders #31 (Aug. 1978) was written by Glut but with the new art team of Chic Stone and Bill Black. This was another flashback story that could have acted as inventory to be used when needed. Set in

Switzerland, where the Invaders had gone to investigate possible Nazi troublemaking, the main villains were Basil Frankenstein (a reference to Basil Rathbone, who had starred in Son of Frankenstein) and accompanying Monster. “The Frankenstein story was a dream come true for me, heavily influenced by the World War II ‘Frankenstein’ stories written and drawn by Dick Briefer for Prize Comics,” reflects Glut. Roy Thomas returned to write the guest appearance of Thor in Invaders #32 and 33 (Sept. and Oct. 1978). Inspired by watching a performance of Wagner’s Gotterdammerung, Adolf Hitler arranges for Thor to be brought into being as a Teutonic God to be used against the Soviet Union in general and Stalin in particular. Alan Kupperberg also returned on pencils. A presumably pre-doctorate Victor von Doom also appears apparently on the Nazi side but ultimately serving his own ends. The next issue, #34 (Nov. 1978), is written by Don Glut and puts the focus on Union Jack, Spitfire, and the Mighty Destroyer for what is their last appearance in the series for some time. Comics Go to War Issue

That’s a Fact, (Union) Jack! After the book’s original team departed, writer Don Glut and artist Alan Kupperberg (inked here by Frank Springer) continued the adventures of the Invaders. Page 30 from issue #29 (June 1978), courtesy of Heritage. © 2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

•

BACK ISSUE • 59

Sub-Mariner vs. Iron Cross Namor hammers his enemy as teammates Cap, Torch, and the Whizzer symbolically watch. Original cover art to Invaders #36 (Jan. 1979) by Alan Kupperberg and Joe Sinnott. (Kupperberg fans, be sure to join us in two issues as Alan is interviewed in BACK ISSUE #39!) © 2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

WINNERS AND LOSERS Roy Thomas has frequently stated his love for the All Winners Comics series that teamed up Captain America, the Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, the Whizzer, and Miss America, and the last seven issues of The Invaders mostly used that lineup. The action also returned to the US home front. For Invaders #35 (Dec. 1978), Kupperberg was joined by Don Heck and Rick Hoberg (who lived in California and was a good friend of Don Glut) on art while Roy Thomas returned as writer. The sections of the story drawn by Heck were actually another Liberty Legion feature, probably intended for Marvel Premiere, but used here as the first part of a three-part story featuring new villain Iron Cross. Invaders #36 (Jan. 1979) was Roy Thomas’ last as writer, as his Hollywood career started taking up more time. Invaders #37 (Feb. 1979) rounded off the Liberty Legion/Iron Cross story and saw the return of Don Glut, who was to write the rest of the series. Kupperberg continued as artist, along with Rick Hoberg and inker Chic Stone. On the final page, Glut introduced the villainess who would also continue through the rest of the run—Lady Lotus. The respective artists (obviously) enjoyed drawing Lady Lotus and, says Glut, “I enjoyed writing her. She was a takeoff on the Dragon Lady-type characters so popular in old World War II-type stories. Also, if you read between the lines, you’ll discover that she was a lesbian. Oops! Now the secret’s out … as is Lady Lotus.”

60 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Over the course of the five-part final story, the clearly non-exclusive Lady Lotus seemed to take a shine to both Golden Girl and the Human Torch. “Another clue is when she comes on to the Torch,” says Glut. “He protests that he’s not really human, or something like that, and she says she’s not really that particular about whom she loves. In other words, she’s not only into both guys and chicks, but androids also. We won’t take that any further.” The Invaders art team of Kupperberg and Stone continued, although there was also art from Don Heck in #38 (Mar. 1979). In this story, a team of returning villains is gradually assembled by Lady Lotus with U-Man, Baron Blood, Master Man, and Warrior Woman all back for a grand final battle before the series completes. Invaders #39 (Apr. 1979) also sees the return of Union Jack and Spitfire. Invaders #40 (May 1979) carried the news of the series’ cancellation. “Not quite enough Marvelites … have shared our fondness for the derring-do and superheroic exploits of World War Two,” wrote editor Roy Thomas on the letters page, which also printed correspondence from reader Kurt Busiek. The final issue was actually a double-sized edition combining what had originally been intended for two regular issues. (As such, #41 was not widely distributed in England for the reasons given above. This one I read years later, after buying a copy at a comics convention in Bristol at which Roy Thomas was a guest of honor.) Don Glut wraps up the story with many of the characters from the previous 40 issues appearing. Declining sales killed the series, though the creators had further plans if cancellation had not occurred. “I’d planned to do a team up of all the WWII and post-war female heroes, a team that might have been called something like the Golden Girls,” Glut reveals. “You know, Golden Girl, Venus, Namora, etc. But it never went beyond just an idea.” Roy Thomas had already extended the Invaders story elsewhere. What If? #4 (Aug. 1977) contained, contrary to the concept of the title, an in-continuity story of the post-war Invaders: “What If the Invaders Had Stayed Together After World War Two?” The story had been created with the art team of Franks Robbins and Springer, before they left the ongoing series. Thomas cleverly weaves together continuity strands from several different series with invention and pathos.

THE INVADERS RETURN The Invaders has been revived several times in different ways. Of most interest to fans of the original series is likely to be the four-part limited series from 1993 which continued directly on from Invaders #41. Its pencils by Dave Hoover, inked by Brian Garvey, are somewhat influenced by the Image style then popular, but the series is fun. Several more old Timely characters are introduced, including the original version of the Vision. More recently there was Giant-Size Invaders #2 (2005), which contained a new story by Thomas and artist Lee Weeks. Also of interest may be the 2008–2009 12-issue Avengers/Invaders series plotted, and with covers, by Alex Ross. With the bulk of Invaders stories being set in late 1941 to mid-1942, there would seem to be scope for further tales to be told during this era. I’d like to think Marvel would give first option to Roy Thomas to do so. Sadly, many of the original Invaders artists are no longer with us, but their work remains. Many thanks to Don Glut for his recollections. Thanks also to Roy Thomas for providing so much firsthand commentary in the original magazines. IAN MILLSTED is a writer & teacher based in Bristol, U.K.

Mark DiFruscio

In a medium where heroism and virtue are so often equated with brute strength and a propensity for violence, the notion of doing a comic book about the life of an elderly Catholic nun might seem like something of an oddity. Yet Marvel Comics produced just such an anomaly when it published Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1984) during the halcyon days of the 1980s, when superhero titles such as Uncanny X-Men and Fantastic Four ruled the comics world. The 48-page one-shot, written by fan-favorite David Michelinie, penciled by the late John Tartaglione, and inked by the legendary Joe Sinnott, also included a story credit attributed to Father Roy Gasnick, a man of the cloth who played an integral role in bringing religion to the House of Ideas. Despite the seemingly incongruous union of comic books and Catholicism, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was in fact the third in a series of religious-themed biographies published by Marvel during the 1980s. The first was an illustrated biography of Saint Francis of Assisi entitled Francis, Brother of the Universe (1980), followed two years later by The Life of Pope John Paul II (1982).

DIVINE IRONY The genesis of these books is detailed in a brief foreword to Francis, Brother of the Universe, which recounts how a Marvel Comics representative in Japan by the name of Gene Pelc was chatting about his work over coffee with Father Campion Lally at the Franciscan Chapel Center. When Fr. Campion asked, “Why don’t you do a book on St. Francis?” Pelc paused, then replied simply, “Why not?” From this inauspicious beginning, Pelc went on to suggest that a Franciscan friar should be brought in to collaborate on the comic book. As a result, Pelc eventually turned to Father Roy Gasnick, who at that time was the Director of the Franciscan Communications Office in New York, and had recently

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 61

worked with Paramount Pictures on publicizing Franco Zeffirelli’s biopic on Francis of Assisi entitled Brother Sun, Sister Moon (released in 1972). A childhood comics fan himself, Fr. Roy “jumped at the chance” to do an illustrated version of the life of St. Francis. “When I was a kid, I read every comic book I could get my hands on,” Fr. Roy, now in his seventies, recalls. “My favorite was Captain Marvel, the story of a young boy who could turn into a superhero by merely shouting out ‘Shazam!’ There was a kind of mysticism in that. It made me think of a Catholic priest saying the words of consecration which turns bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ during Mass. I’m sure that was one of many influences that turned my young mind and heart toward the Catholic priesthood.” Once the executives at Marvel Comics approved the unique venture, longtime Marvel editor Mary Jo Duffy was enlisted as scripter, while John Buscema and Marie Severin were brought in to tackle the art chores. In addition, the comic was distributed through both Marvel Comics and the Paulist Press, a Catholic publishing group. “Divine irony” is how Fr. Roy describes the opportunity in retrospect. “At the time, in l982, I was chair of the coordinating committee for the US celebration of the 800th anniversary of the birth of St. Francis. We Franciscans had a suggestion on the table to publish a comic book life of St. Francis. I used my journalistic background to argue against the idea because even if we had a great storyteller, great artist, great layout designer, etc., the major lack would be that of a nationwide distributor. We might have a great product, but what good would that be if we did not have the means to sell it… “Six months later Marvel Comics approached me with their offer to do Francis, Brother of the Universe, which turned out to be an extraordinary success.” The comic, which benefits greatly from the gorgeous artwork produced by the teaming of Buscema and Severin, depicts the evolution of Francis Bernardone from callow youth to revered saint, starting with his childhood as the son of a wealthy Italian merchant in the city of Assisi during the latter years of the Dark Ages. Filled with ambitions of becoming a heroic knight, Francis sets out for glory by joining the army of Assisi in their war against the neighboring Italian town of Perugia. Yet the grim realities of war quickly take their toll on young Francis, who finds himself imprisoned with the remaining survivors of the defeated Assisian army. After being freed in exchange for a hefty ransom, the recovering Francis returns home and throws himself into empty revelries, declaring, “I want to spend my life trying new things, and finding new ways of seeing and doing

“The Comic Book Priest” (top) Father Roy Gasnick, from the article “The Comic Book Priest,” which appeared in Catholic Digest’s Nov. 1984 issue. (left) Page 9 from Francis, Brother of the Universe (1980), by the art team of John Buscema and Marie Severin. Photo © 2009 Catholic Digest. Art © 1980 Marvel Comics.

62 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

old things.” However, when war erupts between Pope Innocent III and the Holy Roman Emperor, Francis once more finds himself riding off into battle, questing after personal glory and knighthood. Throughout this early part of the story, Buscema and Severin bring the world of Francis to life with such vivid splendor that it could easily be mistaken for an adaptation of a classic Robert. E. Howard historical adventure. However, the tone shifts dramatically when Francis is awakened one night by the Voice of God, telling him to return to Assisi to fulfill a greater destiny. Upon arriving home, Francis must endure the condemnations of his father and fellow townspeople while awaiting further instructions from God. After encountering a horribly scarred leper one day, Francis again hears the Voice of God, this time instructing him to spend his life helping to rebuild the Catholic Church. Subsequently, Francis renounces his former life of leisure and dedicates himself to spreading the Gospel of Christ, while also living by its strictures. Over time, Francis inspires so many others to adopt his hermetic ways that he must request official sanction from the Pope to establish his Order of Friars Minor. Thereafter, Francis travels to the Holy Land with Christian Crusaders and witnesses the horror of their bloody battles with the Saracens, further reinforcing his beliefs about the senselessness of war. Francis then returns home to find that many of his followers have

abandoned the strict adherence to the gospels that he spent years preaching to them. Tormented by this rift among his Friars Minor, Francis begins suffering from the wounds of the stigmata, ultimately weakening him to such an extent that he falls mortally ill. At the moment of his passing, a blinding light emanates from the bedside of Francis, while a flock of larks soar overhead in the shape of the Holy Cross. Over time, Francis comes to be known as the patron saint of peace, ecology, and animals. Interestingly, amongst all of Marvel’s religiousthemed biographies, it was this biography of St. Francis that found the widest audience. “Francis, Brother of the Universe was the most commercially successful,” Fr. Roy confirms. “When we drew up the contract, we [the Franciscan Communications Office] provided for continuing printings by Marvel and ongoing distribution by Paulist Press, thereby avoiding the one-month sales limitations that Marvel has on its regular comic books. According to the figures given me, over one million copies have been sold (15 million readers, according to Marvel’s statistics) and the comic book has been translated into the following languages: French, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish (two different editions), Portuguese, Afrikaans, Swahili … the last copies of the English version finally went out of print last year, having had a great run from 1980 to 2007. (Attempts are being made to have another printing done by Paulist Press.)” Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 63

The Pope and the Mighty Men of Marvel (below) Cover to Pope John Paul II. (below right) Joltin’ Joe Sinnott (left) and John Tartaglione in a convention photo from May 1998. Courtesy of Mark Sinnott (from www.joesinnott.com). © 1982 Marvel Comics.

ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD Following the success of Francis, Brother of the Universe, Marvel naturally went ahead with a follow-up book, this time in the form of The Life of Pope John Paul II, which Fr. Roy passed on developing due to the bureaucratic pitfalls he feared encountering. “James Galton [president of Marvel Comics] asked me to do the Pope John Paul II comic book,” he reveals. “Having some knowledge of the internal workings of the Vatican and the frustrations, roadblocks, and delays that could cause, I declined. As it turned out, the Pope bypassed the system and let one of his longtime friends work directly with Marvel. It worked out marvelously because the Marvel Life of John Paul II was published before most of the Vatican bureaucrats even knew about it. From what I’ve heard, it sold about 500,000 copies.” Edited by longtime Marvel staffer Tom DeFalco, The Life of Pope John Paul II addressed the difficult task of replacing the irreplaceable John Buscema by tapping John Tartaglione and Joe Sinnott for the job. “John [Tartaglione] was a skilled artist who could draw

64 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

anything,” DeFalco recollects about the choice. “He could illustrate subtle likenesses and paid attention to the details of every scene. Joe practically wrote the book on inking. Both men took these projects very seriously and it shows in their work. And let’s not forget Marie Severin, who brought life to these projects with her beautiful coloring.” Joining the art team of Tartaglione and Sinnott on the book was writer Steven Grant, who employed the use of a narrator in the form of a local newspaperman covering the Pope’s 1979 tour of the United States. The comic’s opening scene depicts the newspaperman awaiting the arrival of Pope John Paul II at Yankee Stadium. As the reporter reviews his notes on the life of John Paul II, it prompts a flashback to the war-torn land of Poland in 1920, the birthplace of Karol Wojtyla, who would someday become the 264th Pope of the Catholic Church. At a young age, Karol demonstrates an affinity for the Church and becomes a dedicated altar boy, earning himself the nickname of “mama’s boy” among the other children in his town of Wadowice. At age nine, however, Karol’s mother passes away unexpectedly, leaving his father emotionally devastated by the loss. Three years later, tragedy strikes again when Karol’s older brother dies from scarlet fever. Thereafter, Karol befriends a local family of actors who invite him to join their theater group. He soon becomes so enamored with the stage that he considers pursuing a career as an actor. When Karol leaves home to attend university in Krakow, his academic career gets cut short by Germany’s invasion of Poland in September of 1939. As countless Polish citizens flee the Nazi occupation, Karol remains in Krakow, optimistic that the people of Poland will eventually regain their freedom after the war. At the same time, Karol turns his energies toward writing poetry and organizing prayer groups as a member of the “Living Rosary” religious underground. Amidst this hostile environment, Karol decides to become a Catholic priest but must enter the seminary in secret because the Nazis have forbidden the Church from accepting any new students. Therefore, the Archbishop of Krakow, Archbishop Sapieha, takes it upon himself to smuggle Karol into his church residence where the other seminary students remain in hiding from the Nazis. “The Pope John Paul II book was much harder to do than the Mother Teresa book,” inker Joe Sinnott tells BACK ISSUE about this work on the comic. “The backgrounds were more detailed. Just look at the many shots of St. Peters, Rome, Yankee Stadium, etc. All the different vestments, etc., on the many priests, bishops, and cardinals took time [and] required a tremendous

amount of reference as is evident—everything we did was totally accurate— we were very conscious about this.” By January of 1945, the invading Russian Army finally drives the Nazis out of Krakow, but the people of Poland remain deprived of their freedom and must now endure life under the Communist regime. Subsequently, Archbishop Sapieha recognizes Karol’s great potential and reassigns him to Rome to continue his religious studies in close proximity to the Vatican. At the same time, Karol adopts a pseudonym to publish his poetry in a Catholic weekly newspaper and quickly earns himself a devoted readership. Over the next decade, Karol rises quickly through the ranks of the clergy, until finally becoming the Cardinal of Krakow, and thus the spiritual leader of Poland. Despite the obvious difficulty of bringing such a vast scope of events to life in comic-book form, Sinnott approached the task with great enthusiasm. “I was very experienced in this type of story and looked forward to the challenge,” he explains. “Also, John and I had the ability to do likenesses well … I love working on real-life people. I had done so many in the past, including Gen. MacArthur, Eisenhower, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, John Kennedy, Alan Sheppard, [and] many others. These I did the pencils and inks, but now I would be working with my good friend, the much talented John Tartaglione— I just couldn’t turn it down. There isn’t anyone at Marvel who could have done a better job on this type of story than the great John Tartag!” Indeed, the synergy between Tartaglione and Sinnott is evident on the page, as the pair convincingly dramatize the ensuing years of Karol’s life, wherein he frequently sermonizes on the contemporary challenges facing the Catholic Church and the need to spread freedom around the world. When Pope Paul VI then dies of a heart attack in 1978, Karol emerges as a candidate for successor, before finally being passed over in favor of an Italian. Yet, only 34 days later, the new Pope suddenly dies himself, requiring another appointment. This time it is indeed Karol who is elected to the papacy, a decision greeted with great fanfare in Karol’s homeland of Poland. Once he is rechristened Pope John Paul II, the new pontiff goes on a whirlwind tour, carrying his message to the nations of the world. Thus the flashback ends, returning the story to the present, wherein Pope John Paul II addresses an enthralled crowd at Yankee Stadium, telling them, “In the midst of a world that is anxious about its own existence, I repeat these words to you, for they are the words of life: Peace be with you!” Over the next two years, the popularity of Pope John Paul II continues to grow internationally, but tragedy strikes him once more in the form of a gunman’s bullet. Heartbroken by the news that the Pope has been shot, the newspaperman from the opening sequence finds himself heading to a nearby church to pray for his recovery. Subsequently, the Pope manages to recuperate from his gunshot wound and insists on greeting those gathered in vigil outside his window. “I was not given this office so that I could rest,” the Pope tells his protesting physician. “I have a duty to them—and I will fulfill that duty! I am not my own man anymore!” While many comic readers are likely to associate the name Joe Sinnott most closely with his historic run on Fantastic Four, he actually counts The Life of Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa of Calcutta among some of his all-time favorite works. Despite the drastic departure from his more cosmic-themed collaborations with Jack Kirby, Sinnott found his teaming with Tartaglione to be a seamless transition. “I didn’t have to change my style at all because John and I had a similar approach in our art,” he observes. “Unless we were doing the superheroes, our inclination was to draw realistically. Naturally my inking was more refined, more detailed and subtle than it would have been for the fantasy-type superheroes. The end result was, in my opinion, one of my most satisfying accomplishments. I’m sure Tom DeFalco selected John and I to do these stories because he knew we excelled in this kind of art and the end result sure bore this out. I knew with all of my experience doing books with a religious theme and being able to do likenesses well, as was the case with John, the book was going to be a huge success—and it was! I always wished and felt that Marvel should have put them both out as graphic novels—what beauties they would have been.”

Papal Appearance on Pulp Paper (top) Karol Wojtyla becomes Pope on page 52 of Marvel’s The Life of Pope John Paul II. (bottom) Page 61 of the Pope John Paul II one-shot. Writer Steven Grant told the Pope’s story through the perspective of a newspaper reporter. Art by John Tartaglione and Joe Sinnott. © 1982 Marvel Comics.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 65

WHAT MAKES GONXHA BOJAXHIU TICK In the wake of the initial publication of The Life of Pope John Paul II, it was Fr. Roy who stepped forward to propose a new subject for Marvel’s next religious-themed biography. “I brought the idea of the comic book life of Mother Teresa to Marvel,” Fr. Roy recounts. “Jim Galton picked up on it immediately and gave it an okay. I almost immediately found out that I could not use Mother Teresa herself as a source because she was unwilling to cooperate with anyone writing a biography about her.” Fortunately for all involved, Eileen Egan, a close contact of Mother Teresa who worked for Catholic Relief Services and had helped introduce Mother Teresa to the world, was more forthcoming with Fr. Roy. “She fed me much up-to-date information about Mother Teresa that had not appeared in written resources,” Fr. Roy says. “Oddly enough, one day out of the blue when I was about two thirds finished with my work, Mother Teresa called Eileen and after a small conversation asked her, ‘By the way, how is that comic book coming along?’ Eileen was astounded that she knew about the project. She simply told her that it was in good hands and not to worry. That gave relief to me because I now knew I had her implicit blessing.” With the art team of Tartaglione and Sinnott kept in place for the new book, editor Tom DeFalco brought in rising star David Michelinie to script the biography. “As I remember,” Michelinie reflects, “I was simply offered the assignment at a time when I had room in my schedule. I didn’t pursue the project; I had an opening and it looked like an interesting challenge so I accepted it. I wasn’t involved behind the scenes. It was just a work-for-hire situation for me.” Nonetheless, the writer (who is probably best known for his popular run on Iron Man) relished the opportunity to try something different, observing, “It was definitely something new, and that’s one of the reasons I was happy to do it. Writing a biography was something I’d never even considered in the comics format, and the challenge of figuring out how to do that in an entertaining and visual way was exciting to me.” In contrast to the first two books, Mother Teresa of Calcutta follows something of a nonlinear structure, centered on the research efforts of a fictional freelance journalist named Nick Bugatti. The TV reporter first crosses paths with Mother Teresa during the Siege of Beirut in August of 1982, where Bugatti braves the fighting to cover Mother Teresa’s impressive brokering of a temporary cease fire between the Israelis and the Palestinians. In conjunction with the Red Cross, Mother Teresa convinces both sides to halt the fighting long enough to evacuate 37 physically and mentally disabled children from a war-torn hospital along the front lines of the conflict. While personally aiding in the evacuation, Mother Teresa refuses to speak with the media or grant any interviews, stating, “Christ’s life was not written during his lifetime, yet he did the greatest work on earth ... all of us are but his instruments who do our little bit and pass by.” Intrigued by her explanation, Bugatti resolves to learn more about the enigmatic nun, marveling, “I don’t get it. This woman pulls off the publicity coup of the decade—and she won’t say word one about it! There’s something about Mother Teresa, something unusual, and maybe just a little bit ... special. And that could be an even bigger story than the one I came here for!” In recalling his rationale for creating Nick Bugatti, Michelinie explains, “I wanted to write an entertaining story, not just a dry ‘Mother Teresa did this, and then Mother Teresa did that’ kind of thing. Her activities in Beirut against the background of war seemed like a good setting to start with to provide some visual excitement. From that it was kind of a natural progression to a CNN-type reporter who was there on assignment, to follow his curiosity about the subject of the story.”

66 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Thus the intrepid reporter sets out to retrace the steps of Mother Teresa’s life, first journeying to the town of Skopje in Yugoslavia where Mother Teresa was born under the name Gonxha Bojaxhiu. In Bugatti’s pursuit to unravel the past of Mother Teresa, Tartaglione and Sinnott dramatize her early years in dramatic and compelling fashion, most notably in the depiction of the assassination of her father, who was poisoned due to his political activities with the Albanian Nationalist movement. Only nine years old at the time, Gonxha finds her family left without any form of income and forced to sell their belongings to maintain a roof over their head. Yet the deep religious faith of Gonxha’s mother endures in spite of the family’s various misfortunes. In addition to merely recounting the facts of Mother Teresa’s early life in this section, the biographical portrait also manages to detail those key moments that shaped her remarkably selfless nature and uncommon measure of human compassion. Consequently, Michelinie shrewdly evokes the familiar superhero origin story so ensconced in comic-book lore by highlighting the character-defining moments that foreshadow the particular form of heroism and virtue that Mother Teresa would later exhibit as a world-renowned humanitarian. “It wasn’t a conscious imitation of a superhero origin,” Michelinie is quick to point out. “But the nature of a biography is the telling of someone’s origin—how they started out, what they did, and what happened to them that made them what they are today. And, as I’ve said before, I was trying to create an entertaining story rather than a dry recital of facts, so I guess those two factors combined to generate what you might see as a superhero structure.” One such moment comes when Gonxha’s mother selflessly agrees to care for a dying woman she meets on the street who has been abandoned by her own family. “If Gonxha Bojaxhiu learned the value of strength and perseverance from her father,” Bugatti narrates, “she almost certainly found the lasting worth of compassion from her mother.” At the same time, the story skillfully depicts how young

Gonxha came to her life’s calling of missionary work during a local church gathering wherein she first learns about the thousands of poverty-stricken people dying every day in India due to starvation and neglect. Haunted by the thought, Gonxha dedicates herself to learning more about the Church’s missionary work underway in India, until finally deciding to become a Catholic nun herself at age 18. Upon entering Loreto Abbey in Ireland, Gonxha adopts the new name of Sister Teresa, in honor of Saint Therese of Lisieux, the patroness of missionaries. Yet Bugatti remains perplexed by the nun, brooding, “I think I understand what makes Gonxha Bojaxhiu tick. But lots of young women become nuns—and don’t have the worldwide impact of Mother Teresa. I’ve got to find out what makes her so special.” After a quick jaunt to Ireland to interview the nuns at Loreta Abbey, Bugatti and his cameraman Marty head off to Calcutta to examine Sister Teresa’s work with the poor of India. As Bugatti delves deeper into her past, he learns about how Mother Teresa claimed to have received a direct order from God in 1946. The religious epiphany occurred in the aftermath of Direct Action Day, which was a hideous explosion of violence in India between Muslims and Hindus. Following the bloodshed, Mother Teresa finds herself profoundly moved by what she deems to be divine inspiration and formally requests permission to leave her local convent so she can live among the poor of India and experience what they must endure on a daily basis. In addition, the nun spends several months preparing herself for the hardships she will face by training in medicine, nursing, and nutrition, as well as adopting Indian citizenship and even replacing her traditional nun’s habit with a simple white sari. Before long, the nun called “Sister Teresa” comes to be known as “Mother Teresa” among the impoverished children of Calcutta she works tirelessly to educate. At the same time, Mother Teresa continually petitions the Calcutta Health Department to provide a facility to house the infirmed destitute of Calcutta, many of whom are often left to die in the streets without comfort or pity. Once she is finally given the use of an empty Indian temple, Mother Teresa’s work there causes outrage among the local Hindus who see it as a defiling of sacred ground. Nevertheless, Mother Teresa’s “House of the Destitute Dying” ultimately gains acceptance from the community when they personally witness the compassionate care she offers to those sheltered within. Over time, Mother Teresa even manages to extend this care to the leper population of India, whose numbers exceed 30,000 in Calcutta alone. “Each person, no matter how tattered or diseased, is only God in a distressing disguise,” she tells her charges. “To show our love for him, we must show that same gentle caring for every individual.” Satisfied with what he’s learned in India, Bugatti returns home to Miami to complete his news feature, only to find that his own views about the poor have been affected by the example of Mother Teresa. In wrapping up his profile on the famed nun, Bugatti details how Mother Teresa’s influence continued to spread, both within the Vatican and throughout the world, as her missionary organization established numerous foundations across the globe. As a result of this increased public profile, she winds up receiving countless humanitarian awards, culminating in a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, which she uses as a platform to voice her objection to abortion. In tackling such a delicate issue, Michelinie felt obligated to reference the potential backlash to her speech as well. “There was a lot of thought given to this point,” the writer reveals. “I’m strongly pro-choice, but my job wasn’t to give my personal views. On the

other hand, I would have difficulty putting my name on something that specifically pushed views that I disagreed with. So the answer seemed to state Mother Teresa’s position clearly, but at least present the fact that other viewpoints exist. And I guess it worked since those elements were left in the final product.” The writer continues, “I’m not a religious person, but the subject of the story is. So her take on things was what needed to be presented. On the other hand, her viewpoint, while the most important to the story, wasn’t the way everyone in the world—or even everyone in her circle—saw things. And I thought it would be responsible to show that as well.” Upon finally completing his feature, Bugatti remains preoccupied by the question of what makes Mother Teresa so special. Eventually he decides to return to Calcutta on his own in the hopes of meeting with Mother Teresa in person. After satisfying her that he is not seeking an interview, Mother Teresa finally meets with Bugatti and encourages him to find the answers to his questions by joining her in tending to the infirmed. Initially the reporter finds himself repulsed at the sight of a woman dying from leprosy. Yet the warmth and gratitude he sees in the dying woman’s eyes provide the final spark needed to ignite his long-sought epiphany. “And that’s when it all came together,” Bugatti declares, “all the pieces: The early life of Skopje, the religious training in Ireland, the inspiration, the schools, the clinics, the awards. They all stemmed from one trait. One characteristic. It’s a trait that all of us possess, but one we usually trap behind walls of selfishness, cloak in masks of excuses. And with a jolt I realized that we could all be like Mother Teresa, if we’d only let ourselves. Because when the bottom line is drawn, the thing that makes Mother Teresa special is, quite simply … she cares!”

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 67

THE COMIC BOOK PRIEST Paradoxically, Mother Teresa of Calcutta failed to match the robust sales of its two predecessors, but simultaneously earned a greater share of critical acclaim and mainstream media attention. “Mother Teresa of Calcutta, though it did win the Catholic Press Association’s Best Book of the Year Award (1984) Youth Book category, did less well commercially than Francis, Brother of the Universe,” Fr. Roy divulges. “It sold about 250,000 copies (still an impressive number, I was told) and to my knowledge, there were no translations for use in other countries.” Nonetheless, Fr. Roy looks back on his sojourn through the comics industry with great fondness. “Collaborating with the writers and artists at Marvel Comics was one of the high points of my life,” he asserts. “The first few steps, though, were humbling. I thought I would have to talk down to those people who create comic books. But I soon was overwhelmed by the professionalism and creativity that smacked me in the face. [For example,] I was worried about not being able to get enough action into the scenes of the Mother Teresa book. But John Tartaglione, Marvel’s artist, told me something I should have known: that the pictures are more important than the words. Most readers look at the pictures first and then glance at the words. The artist finds the ways to put action into the picture. Problem solved.” In fact the only potential conflict that ever arose in Fr. Roy’s collaboration with Marvel came from his brief dealings with the company’s most famous ambassador. “There were never any real clashes,” Fr. Roy insists, but also notes, “At one point, to my dismay and that of the Marvel staff, Stan Lee stepped into the creative process of Francis, Brother of the Universe and replaced the action-driven cover with a more pious scene of St. Francis... I talked to Jim Galton. Stan Lee’s cover was rejected and he put the action cover back. Stan Lee’s cover, however, can still be seen in a small box on the lefthand upper corner of the comic book. I should also mention that

Marvel also required me to verify all the biographical materials I gave them. I must declare that Marvel’s professionalism mightily impressed me. They taught me so much. Both comic books generated heaps of press attention, actually even more in the local and national newspapers than in the religious press. For a few years, some in the press media called me ‘the comic-book priest.’ That made me smile.” “The books garnered a lot of publicity,” editor DeFalco concurs. “Newspapers, national magazines, and television reported on them. I believe the sales through traditional newsstands and comic shops was disappointing, but they sold marvelous through Paulist Press and repeatedly went back to press. I think we delivered nice, compact, and accurate biographies that were an excellent buy for the money that still hold up today. I’m very proud of both books.” Michelinie also looks back on the work with satisfaction, saying, “I was pretty much happy with the way things turned out. I tried to tell an interesting, entertaining story that was true to the subject matter, and I think we all succeeded in that.” Nevertheless he considers the comic to be among the more obscure titles listed on his long résumé. “Mother Teresa is the one newsstand comic I’ve written that no one’s ever asked me to sign, and I figured only me and the royalty accountant at Marvel even knew it existed.” Michelinie goes on to say that he had no contact with the artists during the creative process, but was suitably impressed by the results, complimenting, “I never saw the art until the book was published. But with that in mind, I have to say that John and Joe both did a terrific job. The likenesses were excellent, the expressions fitting, the settings evocative.” Editor DeFalco, who had a closer working relationship with artists, expresses his appreciation as well, paying special tribute to John Tartaglione. “John was a friendly and wonderful man who truly loved his work,” DeFalco praises. “In those days, there were only a handful of artists in the business who could have produced the kind of work necessary to a project [such as this] and John was one of those select few. The man could draw anything!” DeFalco also credits Fr. Roy for the success of the books, saying, “I do remember Father Roy Gasnick. He did all the research for Mother Teresa and supplied us with a prose history that David used as the basis for his script. At the time Mother Teresa came out, we were informed that our comic was the most definitive biography ever written about her … all thanks to Father Roy’s research.” However Michelinie recalls his collaboration with Fr. Roy somewhat differently. “Ah, yes, Father Roy,” the writer remembers. “I met with the gentleman once in the editor’s office before I started on the project. He loaned me four books that each had short sections about Mother Teresa, and provided a ‘story outline’ which was nothing more than a timeline: the year Mother Teresa was born, the year she moved from her home town, the year she went to India, etc. That was the entire extent of the ‘story’ he provided. Ironically, some months after the comic was published, I received in the mail a certificate telling me that the Mother Teresa comic had won Best Children’s Book at the Catholic Book Awards for that year. I was surprised to see that I was listed as ‘Co-Author.’ Apparently Father Roy had attended the awards ceremony and accepted the award—as well as the accompanying accolades— as ‘Co-Author’ of the comic and never thought to inform me that ‘we’ had even been nominated … everyone knows by now that priests are just human. Apparently, having an ego is part of that humanity.” In response to Michelinie’s account, Fr. Roy replies, “I’m surprised,” contending, “I thought we had talked about it with some enthusiasm when I brought back the award from the convention in l985. But that’s 23 years ago and my memory might be faulty. I do remember that I received two printed copies of the award, one for me and one for

“Action-Driven Cover” Father Roy tells BACK ISSUE that Stan Lee nearly nixxed this cover for Francis: Brother of the Universe, favoring a quieter, more reverent scene which instead became the image in the upper left-hand corner. © 1980 Marvel Comics.

68 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

More of Marvel’s Mightiest (above) Joe Sinnott (left) and Tom DeFalco, two of the talents behind Marvel’s Catholic comics, in a 2007 convention photo courtesy of Mark Sinnott. (right) Mother Teresa, page 2. © 1984 Marvel Comics.

Dave, and that I gave Dave’s copy to Jim Galton for Marvel’s use. Jim might have had second thoughts about the award. To qualify, the product had to be published by a Catholic publisher. Mother Teresa of Calcutta had a dual copyright: the text by the Franciscan Communications Office of New York and the artwork [by] Marvel Comics. The comic book squeezed through the nominations as a publication of the Franciscan Communications Office, not as a Marvel publication.” Perhaps it is for this reason that for all these years Joe Sinnott has remained completely oblivious to the fact that the book was ever honored with such a distinction. “This is the first I heard that the Mother Teresa book won an award for the Best Children’s Book at the Catholic Book Awards that year,” the artist admits. ”I certainly wish someone had told John and myself of this accomplishment. It would have made John quite proud as it has me. However, John will never know this as he is no longer with us as we all know—what a shame! The Pope John Paul II is brought up more often by my fans than the Mother Teresa and I have autographed many of both down through the years. They both got a fair amount of publicity [when] they first came out. They even made them available in the churches. In my humble opinion, the Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II books presented art that was as great as any I had ever seen in comics. I am just so proud to have been a part of the art team along with my talented buddy, John Tartaglione.” [For more on Joe Sinnott’s long and storied career in comics, be sure to check out TwoMorrows’ Brush Strokes with Greatness: The Life & Art of Joe Sinnott by Tim Lasiuta.]

THE GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD Awards and media attention aside, Mother Teresa of Calcutta would signal the end of the line for Marvel’s religious-themed biographies, at least until the 1990s, when Marvel would publish The Life of Christ: The Christmas Story (1993) and The Life of Christ: The Easter Story (1994). Nonetheless, were it not for some corporate reshuffling within the company, Marvel Comics would have gone on to produce further biographical comic books during the 1980s. According to Fr. Roy, “Jim Galton had two projects lined up that he was excited to have me do. First was a biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Preliminary work began on this, but the King family demanded so much control over the project, it was dropped. This disappointed me greatly because I was a civil rights activist, had marched on Washington with Dr. King in 1963, [and] worked with other Franciscans to have him awarded the St. Francis Peace Medal a year before he received the Nobel Peace Prize. “Galton’s next project for me was gigantic and nearly floored me: a series of four comic books telling the history of the Catholic Church in America. Though Galton was Jewish, his vision rose above religious

differences. He saw this project as a means for education in Catholic parochial schools where its use and financial return would never run out. The contract was drawn up, needing just my signature to make a go of the project. I tried over the next few months to block off enough future time to do the research and writing for such a massive project, but the time simply wasn’t there. Eventually, there was an upheaval at Marvel, Galton was gone, and that was the end of my collaboration with the company. I still have my copy of the contract.” After all these years, Mother Teresa of Calcutta remains one of the more intriguing entries in the annals of comic arcana, harkening back to a more innocent time, when ambitious undertakings such as this might begin with the simplest of creative imperatives, such as merely asking the question, Why not? Call it divine irony if you like, but due to the unique duel distribution arrangement between Marvel and Paulist Press, such obscure titles as Francis, Brother of the Universe, The Life of Pope John Paul II, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta may in actuality be some of the most widely read comic books of the 20th century. Yet such considerations are clearly of a lesser concern to Father Roy Gasnick, who received a far greater reward when Mother Teresa went so far as to contact him personally in response to the comic book. “When Mother Teresa of Calcutta was published,” Fr. Roy reminisces, “I received a lovely note of appreciation from her. Among other things, she said, ‘Thank you, Father, for what you did to make the book. Wonderful are the ways of God. How he uses nothingness to show his greatness.’ I treasure that note, especially now that she has been beatified and is on the fast track to sainthood.” MARK DiFRUSCIO is a freelance writer living in San Diego. He would like to thank everyone who contributed to this article, particularly Father Roy Gasnick and Mark Sinnott, both of whom were kind enough to share their personal photos with us.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 69

“War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothin’! Say it again!” Those lines by the late, great Edwin Starr to the contrary, war remains with us, as an ever-present part of our history, our reality, even our consumerism. Somewhere, as you read this, war is occurring ... the horrors of it. And somewhere, as you read this, revenue is generated from wars past and wars present. But there are also the lessons of war. If it is the hope of horror films—the best of them— to channel away our daily horror; then perhaps it is the hope of the war film, book, comic—the best of them—to channel away our ... easy stumblings into war. The purpose of recounting tales of war, then, is to strip away the lies and the glamour and to unearth the lessons of wars past, that may, if we can listen, guide us away from wars present and wars future. Being a child of the ’70s, my earliest introduction to war comics was with titles such as Sgt. Rock and Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, books I came across while tagging along with my mom at the local Rite-Aid. Rite-Aid, for those of you who don’t know that particular brand of store, is much like CVS; part pharmacy, part convenience store, and seemingly ever-present. And for me, at least, and I’d wager a generation of youth, the corner pharmacy is where I became acquainted with and hooked (somehow apt, a place where drugs were dispensed, being the source of my “drug” of choice) on this uniquely American genre of the comic.

From the Frontlines Writer/artist Don Lomax’s gritty, personal black-and-white title Vietnam Journal may not be widely known, but those who have discovered it have praised its authenticity and emotional impact. Seen here is the splash page to issue #4 (May 1988). All Vietnam Journal scans courtesy of G. K. Abraham. © 2009 Don Lomax.

70 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

G. K. Abraham

Make War Once More (left) While seeming pro-war in its gung-ho approach, director Ted Kotcheff’s First Blood (1982)— moviegoers’ introduction to macho icon Rambo— was anti-war at heart. (right) Oliver Stone’s Oscar-winning 1986 film Platoon was a thinking man’s war movie and helped create the market climate that gave birth to Don Lomax’s Vietnam Journal. First Blood © 1982 Anabasis N.V. and Elcajo Productions. Platoon © 1986 Hemdale Film.

And along with the corner pharmacy, there were the libraries. Before libraries had graphic-novel sections, before there was such a thing as a graphic novel, our local librarian had a comic box and once a week kids could come in and trade their comics for other comics. This librarian was somehow den mother to this unruly band of preteens—God love her, ’cause my friends and I certainly did. What a nifty and smart thing to do, to lure kids off of the corners and out of brawling and into libraries. There, with peers, friendships were made while trading and talking about that most perfect of mediums, comics. However, not all comics were considered perfect. Invariably some comics, like unpleasant orphans, would stay unchosen. In our librarian’s comic box, you could always be certain to find Archie comics, and the aforementioned war comics, along with titles such as The Unknown Solider and G. I. Combat. These books (which you can clearly go back to and see their strengths: the late Bob Kanigher, who wrote many of these war comics, being a writer whose work I actively seek out now) at the time held very little sway against the four-color wonders of men whose rage turned them green, whose tragedy turned them into bat-costumed avengers, and whose time in prison turned them into bullet-resistant, 300 lb. heroes for hire. Kids of our age back then were looking for larger wonders. Something beyond our experience. In a time not far removed from the shadow of Vietnam, what we weren’t looking for was any repetition of our nightly news. We wanted what all kids want at that age— we wanted to sail the oceans cosmic. So during the ’70s and into the ’80s, superheroes reigned supreme. But by the mid-’80s, the children of the ’70s had grown up and matured, and amazingly, the medium had grown up with them. There was renewed popularity

of the war film in cinema, with films such as Platoon, Rambo, and Full Metal Jacket coming along in time to prep a generation for the Gulf War. The 1980s saw a resurgence in war as fodder for entertainment. To understand the resurgence of the war comic book, and how from it Vietnam Journal was born, it is necessary to understand the resurgence of the war film. Historically, these cycles pop up prior to new periods of armed conflict—in this case the Gulf War, but you’ll generally see this going back as far as the Spanish American War—where entertainment, from cartoons to comics, begins to prime an audience for war. This is largely aimed at youth. So G. I. Joe, Rambo, and Iron Eagle came along at the right time to “prep” my generation for the Gulf War, to glamorize it to some extent, to paint duty and war and killing as patriotic necessities. That’s the way war is historically sold, the fact of it preceded by a mass-media blanketing of the fun of it. Patriotism as product of popcorn, cool special effects, and rousing music scores. Propaganda. However, along with the traditional pro-war movies of the early ’80s, in the latter half of the’80s you began to get a rash of very personal stories from directors, such as Oliver Stone, who had seen this cycle before and decided in their own films to say: “All those John Wayne-type movies are fine and good, but let me show you the other side.” Films like Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket (1987), John Irvin’s Hamburger Hill (1987), Brian De Palma’s Casualties of War (1989), and Stone’s own Platoon (1986) and Born on the Fourth of July (1989) very much sought to show war beyond the simplistic, to speak of war in terms elegiac. Surprisingly enough, First Blood (1982), which introduced Rambo, is a very interesting and significant film in the proliferation of war movies in the ’80s. Sylvester Stallone, as co-writer and uncredited director with Ted Kotcheff, with First Blood launched this genre of Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 71

VJ’s Contemporaries Both Marvel’s The ’Nam (left) and the British import Charley’s War (right) offered poignant battlefront perspectives, as did Vietnam Journal. (For more on The ’Nam, see BACK ISSUE #24’s interview with the series’ original artist, Michael Golden.) The ’Nam © 2009 Marvel Characters, Inc. Charley’s War © Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun.

war film, as healing elegy. With some creative conflict, they very much created, under the action trappings, an anti-war film (that I might add works better than the book, where the protagonist wasn’t sympathetic at all) that called back to thoughtful ’70s war films like The Deer Hunter and would foreshadow and inform films like Platoon. However, the surprising success of the film was a mixed blessing. First Blood was a blockbuster, being a top-ten moneymaker of 1982, and was very much embraced as a pro-war film, and this slant is seen in all its very inferior sequels (the last one excepted). It would go on to inspire tons of pro-war movies, such as Red Dawn (1984) and Heart Break Ridge (1986). And Oliver Stone’s Platoon came out very much as an answer to these ... love songs to war, and Platoon was quickly followed by the rest. So First Blood’s success inspired both the pro-war films of the early ’80s and the anti-war films of the late ’80s—arguably, the only film in the history of cinema that can claim such a duality. And so the spirit of the late ’80s is about that duality, and that confessional nature, the ability to speak on a war that we were for a long time as a culture quiet about. And this spirit of the times, the zeitgeist reached, extends to every medium. It extends to comics. A desire to speak of an unspoken war, in the voice of men who had fought it ... with authenticity. Comics followed this rise in popularity of the war film with the release of fantastic series, from the cartoony to the gritty. Among them: G. I. Joe, The ’Nam, Semper Fi, Alien Legion (a war book under its sci-fi trappings), and the one we are here to discuss, Vietnam Journal.

72 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

I was quite a fan of G. I. Joe and The ’Nam (as well as Alien Legion) when they came out in the ‘80s, as were a lot of comics readers of the time. G. I. Joe being a toy and TV tie-in was particularly successful; issues sold out quickly and became pricey collectibles on the secondary market. On the other side of the spectrum there was this black-and-white book called Vietnam Journal, the brainchild of Don Lomax, which fell under the radar of myself and seemingly most other readers, which no doubt accounted for the series’ short-lived run. Published by the now-defunct company Apple Comics, Vietnam Journal ran 16 issues, from 1987 to 1991, and is generally regarded as one of the high points in war comics. Writer/artist Don Lomax, who was drafted in 1965 at the age of 21 and stationed in Vietnam in 1966, recounts with authenticity the times and the men and the stories of those who sailed those turbulent years. I was turned on to this short-lived series by the glowing praise it received from Jason Aaron, the author of the highly acclaimed 2006–2007 Vertigo comic, The Other Side. But beyond the occasional burst of praise and specious bio info, a real detailed analysis, an overview if you will, of the entire 16-issue Vietnam Journal series and what the issues felt like and what they said, and what they meant to people, and why they are worthy of being remembered ... has not existed. Until now. Following up on the high praise, I set out to collect the relatively hard-to-find series and determine if it was indeed praiseworthy, and if it was, to critique it.

Why? For two reasons: 1) the best things deserve attention, and 2) the hopes that such attention will spur interested parties into releasing an affordable and complete collection of the work. Vietnam Journal, to my happy surprise, lives up to its accolades. What the comic-book series Vietnam Journal offers is a sense of authenticity, of detail, that eschewed the simple good and bad sound bites of other war books. And undoubtedly this comes from the book being the expression of a singular vision and not the art by committee you would get at the big comic companies of Marvel or DC. Don Lomax as writer, penciler, and inker eschews art by consensus and instead gives us the viewpoint of one driven and deeply invested individual, recounting deeply felt tales of men who gave their last, best measure. I am going to attempt to, in the paragraphs that follow, give you a singular take on Don Lomax’s Vietnam Journal and why twenty-plus years after its publication, forty-plus years after the war it depicts, it remains vital reading. So without further ado, I bring you ... the annotated Vietnam Journal.

VIETNAM JOURNAL #1 (Nov. 1987) “THE FIELD JACKET” The first issue of Don Lomax’s singular work hits the ground running, introducing us to our protagonist, who is our entrance into this war-torn world: a journalist called Neithammer. The grunt’s-eye-view of the Vietnam War may seem derivative now, but when it came out in 1987 it was a pioneering work. (Lomax’s Vietnam Journal, along with Doug Murray’s and Michael Golden’s The ’Nam and, out of England, Pat Mills’ and Joe Colquhoun’s WWI serial Charley’s War, all intersected at roughly the All covers © 2009 Don Lomax. same time and all offered a soldier’s perspective of war.) Written and drawn by Don Lomax, this first story follows an Army field jacket’s travels from hand to hand. While the art here is not the dynamic and stunning layout and page design of the late Colquhoun’s Charley’s War, or the illustrative mastery of Golden’s work on The ’Nam, there is a hyper-intensity and expressiveness to Lomax’s art, an emotive ability, that serves the story Lomax tells (and would grow more devastating with every issue). A good first issue. Grade: B-

VIETNAM JOURNAL #2 (Jan. 1988) “THE DOGS OF WAR” Wow. What a great issue. I love when you can leave a comic with more than what you brought to it. Leave it enriched. Here Don Lomax introduces us to so many things about war, and about people (including a contemplation of suicide). A wonderful story, as Neithammer, now nicknamed “Journal,” finds himself lost … among men and dogs. And here is where I really get an appreciation for Lomax’s detailed, cross-hatched art. While not the innovative use of page layouts of Joe Colquhoun’s Charley’s War, the art offers an expressive intensity that makes this series as visually captivating as the best of its contemporaries.

And the issue is further enhanced by the inside cover’s historical “Back in the World” Timeline (this issue covers Feb. 15–17, 1967), and publisher Richard Pini’s “A Matter of Opinion” column. Pini’s column contrasts one young fan’s desire to break into comics with the nihilistic comic mindset of 1987, and concludes, “In July 1987, the world’s population surpassed five billion humans. At the same time there were a few hundred bald eagles left, a few thousand wolves and great whales. Good luck, kid. Good luck.” Cover to cover, a great issue. Grade: A-

VIETNAM JOURNAL #3 (Mar. 1988) “SCORCHED EARTH— BY THE NUMBERS” “Scorched Earth—By the Numbers” is an engrossing tale of media manipulation in the ’Nam. Lomax’s art is growing on me with every issue. His stories are full of moral quandaries and quagmires, this issue showing an American military often at odds with itself, its media, and its nation. The historical Timeline covers Feb. 18–Mar. 11. 1967. Vietnam Journal’s first “Friendly Fire” letters page appears in this issue, and it sports excellent letters by John Thompson (who takes issue with the portrayal of the anti-war movement as only rabid hippies), Steven Feldman (praising the first issue for quickly establishing a tone, something he says it took Marvel’s The ’Nam five issues to do), and finally Scott Zeiss, who compares Lomax’s work to EC war vet Jack Davis’. Another great issue. Grade: B+

VIETNAM JOURNAL #4 (May 1988) “BIRDS OF PREY” It took me a longer than usual time to finish this issue. I kept lingering over panels, over the conversations, and looking at details such as insignia markings and pocket flaps. I was awestruck by the accuracy and attention to detail that Don Lomax puts into every single panel. And like issue #2, “Dogs of War,” you leave the book with your world view subtly broadened. Informed. It comes through that the author is very much pro-soldier, not a liberal, and likely a voting Republican when this book was written. That said, he is very much a rational man, and points out clearly the idiocies of war, of a certain time and place. This story, the tale of a “simple” taxi mission, takes as concise and brilliant a snapshot of the CIA’s mandate of preserving America’s peace by keeping the rest of the world in a state of unrest as you’re likely to see. Rhein, the CIA character in this book, goes abroad and teaches people to kill. He is America’s face to foreign eyes, and that face is often deranged. A great issue. The letters page “Friendly Fire” contains a great review by Craig Romano, as well as letters by Kundurazeff and Jon Hopkins. Reading this issue back to back with viewing the political Westerns of Sollima would be a great one-two punch. Grade: B+/A-

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 73

VIETNAM JOURNAL #5 (July 1988)

VIETNAM JOURNAL #9 (Mar. 1989)

“HAWKS OF THE DARKHORSE” From the amazing opening Timeline of Mar. 18–19, 1967, to the contentious letters page, this is a great issue. Journal follows a group of cavalry scouts, young men with a job that will make moot the concept of getting old. Again Lomax astounds with his ability to put so much in a story. More happens in a single issue of Vietnam Journal than in a year of most modern comics. Hands down one of the greatest (I think to even call it a comic book may trivialize it) dissections of war in the graphic format. Grade: A-

“BROWN WATER WARRIORS” The “Back in the World” Timeline covers Oct. 22–27, 1967, and it is riveting reading, covering everything from the protests at home to the bombings abroad, although a certain rightwing leaning/bias comes through, particularly in the Timeline’s derisive description of anti-war protesters. However, despite whatever agenda the Timeline has, the story itself, “Brown Water Warriors,” reads impressively and is even-handed, showing the conflicted moments of a conflicted war. Journal returns to the ’Nam to join a Mobile Riverine Force, and spends an eventful and bloody day looking for them. And this issue, centering around a single work day, is especially resonant, informative, and brilliant. Lomax’s artwork is laboriously detailed and evocative. There’s a “Missing American” text page that tells the harrowing ordeal of Capt. Charles E. Shelton, a true iron man. The “Friendly Fire” letters page contains a letter by 21-year-old Roland Bonilla thanking Vietnam Journal for clarifying the war for a younger generation. And former Coast Guarder Rob Morganbesser says issue #5 was his favorite, and supports issue #2 and its suicide aspect. Don Lomax’s responses, like his stories, are passionate. Grade: A-/A

VIETNAM JOURNAL #6 (Sept. 1988) “TRADITION” Part of the power of this issue definitely comes from the relationships built up in the first five. You really need to read those five issues before reading this. All that said, an absolutely brilliant tale of … tradition. Go … read. The Timeline is Mar. 21, 1967, and the letters page is as engrossing as ever. Grade: A/A+

VIETNAM JOURNAL #7 (Nov. 1988) “DUSTOFF” How do you follow up arguably the best issues of the series? Well, if you’re Don Lomax, you do it with wonderful art, solid characterization, and wrenching storylines. Journal, getting patched up from last issue, meets a singing medic on a day when the music dies. Timeline is Mar. 22–24, 1967. Jim Marrs (future author of Rule by Secrecy) has the whole letters page and speaks reason, nonsense, heresy, or truth, or perhaps some combination of the four, depending on your point of view. Grade: B+

VIETNAM JOURNAL #8 (Jan. 1989) “TO FACE THE BEAST” This is an odd issue. Journal is in Saigon prepping to head back to the States. “To Face the Beast” deals with hallucinations, horror, and home, an off-kilter story that seems to be part-Naked Lunch and part-Jacob’s Ladder. I don’t want to say it feels forced, but for whatever reason, this issue didn’t connect with me like the previous seven. Still, a good issue. Grade: B-/B

74 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

VIETNAM JOURNAL #10 (May 1989) “THE PLAIN OF REEDS” Journal goes into action with the Navy Seals, only to encounter something more deadly than the Viet Cong or the Seals—the return of CIA agent Rhein. Another home run of an issue. The Timeline, researched by Jack C. Harris, covers Oct. 30, 1967, and again there’s a slight rightwing slant to it that is happily not in the book itself. The “Missing American” page covers Major Hugh M. Fanning. The letters page is especially compelling, with letters by Donald Gray, a LOACH pilot in the Air Cavalry during Vietnam, praising issue #5, “Hawks of the Darkhorse,” for its accuracy. Also, Eric Palmquist writes, praising the detailed ink work of Lomax, and highlights how informative the series is in terms of terminology. Vietnam Journal is in many ways just that, a brilliant and informative journal. Highly recommended! Grade: A-

VIETNAM JOURNAL #11 (July 1989) “DAK TO” November 1967. In a river valley at the convergence of three borders—Laotian, Cambodian, and South Vietnamese— Journal accompanies a convoy on a fact-finding mission deep into occupied territory, but while there runs into things he didn’t expect: a woman ready to give birth, the middle of a jungle, and the “Hero People’s Army.” It’s a gripping issue, with scenes you would absolutely not see in other comics of the day. It is bold, gripping storytelling, and left me both a little queasy and wanting to pass out cigars.

What is so effective about Lomax’s storytelling is its expressiveness and detail. You look into the characters of pen and ink and see a depth that transcends the lines. A reality that comes out of the illusion. And I have to give praise to Clem Robins, whose lettering perfectly complements the rough, both ugly and beautiful, crosshatched world of Vietnam Journal. Another stellar issue. The Timeline covers Friday, Nov. 3–Monday, Nov. 6, 1967, and tackles the protests in the States; the Federal government honoring a 17-year-old for LSD experiments on spiders; dissension between China and the Soviet Union on the 50th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution; and the Viet Cong seeking to link to other movements for national independence in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In this issue’s “Friendly Fire,” Rita Ractliffe is thankful for the “Missing Americans” page in Vietnam Journal, and John Sudlow praises issue #5’s “Hawks of the Darkhorse” and talks about beginning to learn about the war after seeing Platoon and Full Metal Jacket. Grade: A-

VIETNAM JOURNAL #12 (Feb. 1990) “HILL 875” “Hill 875” is a thought-provoking tale of a war where the taking of objectives—hills—had no strategic value and were transitory prizes that had no value beyond the blood and the conviction of the moment. As one character states in the issue, “Here we don’t fight for ground. We fight for body count. May God have mercy on our souls.” It’s a great issue, and again enough good things can’t be said about Lomax’s art. It’s detailed and authentic. The gas-mask bit will be All covers © 2009 Don Lomax. familiar to anyone who has done basic training. Gas masks are always a frightening thing—there is a sense of unreality in wearing one, as it divorces you from your sense of the world, your sense of yourself—there’s a sense of horror in needing one. And in a scant few panels, Lomax captures all of that. The “Back in the World” segment covers Nov. 15–23, 1967, and discusses the war on college campuses at home, and the tragedies abroad. A great issue. Grade: B+/A-

VIETNAM JOURNAL #13 (Apr. 1990) “THE BALLAD OF LUTHER WOLFE” This issue is about a lost Neithammer, who is found by an equally lost Australian detachment, and together they find … bedlam and blood. You couldn’t call the artwork of Don Lomax photorealistic, but having cut his teeth as a cartoonist in the magazine field [see the Lomax interview following] he has that particular gift of the best cartoonists: the ability of economy, to convey much in scant lines. It gives his work an unnerving depth of feeling, an unnerving reality. And you see it most in the eyes. They come off the page at you. And that’s definitely the case with this issue. From the cover with the dog’s eyes staring intently out, to all the eyes that scream, and weep, and plead inside the issue. This is an issue of extremes, and is such a testament to the power of this medium. Because yes, you can have great movies,

and yes, you can have great novels, but no medium can convey as much with as little … as comics. We come back to that word economy, the medium … by giving the framework of images and words, you allow the audience to build upon that framework, in a way he can’t do with a movie, and you help solidify the vision for him in a way you don’t get with a novel. Grade: B+/A-

VIETNAM JOURNAL #14 (June 1990) “CORDON AND SEARCH” This may be one of the most lyric issues, as Journal gets time to listen to the men he came here to report on. And what stories they tell. Stories to make young men … old. There is this great exchange where one of the troops, after his confession, asks Neithammer: “You think I’m wrong?” To which Neithammer replies, with a line that seems to sum up war as well as anything can: “I try not to think.” A highly recommended issue with an ending that just may move you. Grade: A-

VIETNAM JOURNAL #15 (Aug. 1990) “COASTAL PINK AND ALMOND EYES” After 14 issues done in one-issue stories, Lomax begins the end of the series here, in this first part of a harrowing two-parter as two divergent storylines come to a head in this tale of warriors of the air and warriors of the earth, and of horror … Vietnam style. The “Back in the World” Timeline covers Jan. 3–5, 1968. Grade: B

VIETNAM JOURNAL #16 (Apr. 1991) “MIA” We come to the last issue of Vietnam Journal. The inside front cover hosts an ad for Lomax’s next project, Desert Storm Journal. With the Gulf War in full bloom, Lomax was turning his proven talents to the topic occupying everyone’s television set. But first, he has one more thing to say about a war for hearts and minds. Journal is on a Mixmaster with a team trying to free recently captured American soldiers. The book points to a variety of projects in progress or on the radar for Don Lomax, among them TET ’68, High Shining Brass, and the aforementioned Desert Storm Journal. The art this issue suffers a bit, perhaps from the workload of Lomax’s current and upcoming work.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 75

In “Back in the World,” the Timeline goes from Saturday, Jan. 6–Tuesday, Jan. 9, 1968. As always it’s an insider’s look at the terminology and the times. That said, there is something unsettling about this issue; it feels slightly conflicted and unsatisfying, but ultimately perhaps that’s a valid end tone for a war that left a nation conflicted and unsatisfied. So, minor qualms aside, it’s a fitting end to what amounts to poundfor-pound the best war comic in the last few decades. Grade: B/B-

THE SPIN-OFFS However, that would not quite be the end. Don Lomax’s 16 issues proper of Vietnam Journal would be followed by various spin-offs of varying degrees of success. In the nine-issue Desert Storm Journal, which ran from 1991 through 1993, there is clearly a tone of vilifying the enemy and justifying the war which is absent in Vietnam Journal. In many ways, Desert Storm Journal is the antithesis of Vietnam Journal and a throwback to the jingoistic fervor of comics of World War II. If Vietnam Journal had been written in the throes of the Vietnam War, it might read very much like Desert Storm Journal. It would seek to make it a simplest common-denominator tale of the righteousness of the US and the unmitigated evil of the North Vietnamese. But thankfully there is a buffer of time there, and Lomax’s Vietnam Journal is a far more reasoned and compelling work because of it. Lomax revisited Vietnam in his series Vietnam Journal: TET ’68. This six-issue series picks up smoothly from the end of Vietnam Journal, with the eponymous Journal in a bar trying to come to terms with demons old and demons new. Lomax brings in the old crew of Clem Robbins as letterer, Hilary Hughes as editor, and Tai Tran as Vietnamese translator (though it appears he doesn’t actually translate this issue) for the first issue, but they begin dropping off as the series progresses. Rose Lomax is a new addition as inker. TET starts off as something of a police procedural with issue #1, where Journal is recruited to help bring down a drug ring, then commits the other five issues to the Tet Offensive. As the series progresses, the art takes a hit though Lomax’s story is as detailed as ever. The Lomaxes no doubt were stretching themselves thin between this series and Desert Storm Journal. Also the concentration on one storyline, as opposed to Vietnam Journal’s done-in-one fluid style, begins to feel bogged down, though it ends strong, with the final

76 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

two issues picking up in terms of quality, particularly in terms of art. Rose Lomax is doing a great job here, adding the blacks and fleshing out the backgrounds that were light in the first couple of issues. Clem Robbins as letterer is very much missed, his impactful and artistic typography glaringly absent in these issues. Vietnam Journal: TET ’68 would be followed by Lomax’s four-issue Vietnam Journal: Bloodbath at Khe Sanh (1992–1993) and the two-issue Vietnam Journal: Valley of Death (1994), but the writing was on the wall for not just Vietnam Journal but also for publisher Apple Comics. The success of the newly created juggernaut Image Comics was triggering the death knell for black-and-white comics. With the Gulf War over, a new president in the White House, and the economics of the day forever altered, the day of the the war comic, the war television show, and the war movie had once again come … to an end. Which is fitting because war-focused items, comics and movies in particular, are much like the myth of Excalibur. They rise only when needed most. The topic of war in any genre has a limited lifespan. It is a dish that of necessity should be hard in the serving. But perhaps because of that brevity, that delicate confluence of incidents that give rise to this most unsettling genre, when a strong entry that deals with our wars and our warriors with something close to parity is created … it is remembered. Kids not born when the films came out can tell you of Platoon, Apocalypse Now, and Full Metal Jacket, because these films go beyond entertainment to say something timeless about who we were in our worst hours and in our best. Vietnam Journal does the same for the comics medium. Forty-plus years after the war it depicts, twenty-plus years after its publication, it continues to say something vital about where we were as a nation, and who we were. It is a cry and a call to never forget. The 16 core issues of Vietnam Journal continue to have the power to enlighten, to enrich, and to eulogize, and stand as a worthy highpoint of a medium too often dismissed. The series is thankfully available on the secondary market and pops up on auction sites on occasion, and there have even been two compilations of the series. But for my money, get the original issues. Go, seek them out ... they are worth discovering. G. K. ABRAHAM blogs about comics and pop culture at HeroicTimes.wordpress.com.

G. K. Abraham conducted in April 2009

It’s worth noting Don Lomax is a humorous and insightful creator, and both traits are in evidence in the informative, free-flowing interview that follows. It veers pretty far afield of comics, but I think in a good way, as it discusses not just a younger America that bore young men who dreamed in four colors, but perhaps says in contrast something about today’s youth. – G. K. Abraham G. K. ABRAHAM: Mr. Lomax, first I want to say that I’m a huge fan of Vietnam Journal. Let’s do a quick synopsis for people who have come late to the party. Vietnam Journal ran 16 acclaimed issues. Its protagonist was a journalist by the name of Scott “Journal” Neithammer, and the story revolved around his battlefield coverage of Vietnam. You were drafted at 21, and shipped overseas to Vietnam in 1966. Tell us a little about yourself, of the young man you were before being drafted. I’m guessing that like many young men, you had plans that did not at the time include an unknown country called Vietnam. DON LOMAX: First of all, I was a little surprised at your request for this interview. Being a senior citizen and a grandfather (I’ll be 65 this September), I am used to [being] patronized and treated like someone on the brink of senility. You know, the knowing smiles, the pats on one’s hand to reassure, and the eyes rolling back when I say something stupid or un-cool. Well, if I say too many things stupid or un-cool just chalk it up to old age (another benefit to getting old— you are seldom taken seriously). I was born September 14, 1944. My mom and dad were poor but we got by. I have two sisters, both older, so that made me the baby of the family. I had a great life growing up. Being a child of the ’50s, everything was black and white, nobody bothered to lock their doors. I don’t think we even had a key to our car. Back then you didn’t need one. Crime was nearly nonexistent. At least in rural Illinois where I grew up.

“…the best war comic book in more than 35 years.” That’s what Don Thompson wrote in The Comics Buyers’ Guide about Don Lomax’s Vietnam Journal. Seen here is detail from Lomax’s cover to Vietnam Journal #1 (Nov. 1987). © 2009 Don Lomax.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 77

Beginnings: “Puttin’ with the Rat...” in Easyriders magazine (early 1980s)

Milestones: CARtoons / Heavy Metal / Vietnam Journal / Desert Storm Journal / American Flagg! / Captain Obese in FantaSCI / High Shining Brass / The ’Nam / The Punisher Back to School Special / Sleepwalker / Starslayer / Guard Tales

Works in Progress: The entire Vietnam Journal series and its spin-offs are being published by Transfuzion Comics / the continuation of Vietnam Journal

Cyberspace: www.lomaxcomics.com

Don Lomax Photo courtesy of Don Lomax.

97 North Before being drafted, Don Lomax worked for the CB&Q Railroad. On his website he describes this painting: “Number 97 North pulls out of yard ‘D’ in Galesburg, Illinois, on the outbound freight track to pick up his orders at Seminary Tower and head out of town. In the ’60s, 97 North was a mixed freight train that ran daily from Galesburg, Illinois, to Savanna, Illinois, on the CB&Q Railroad.” © 2009 Don Lomax.

78 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

I have many fond memories of childhood. I remember taking my 25-cent allowance per week to the local Rialto Theater on Saturday afternoon. Admission was 12 cents, and for that you got a color cartoon, the latest installment of the current serial, and a double feature. Cowboy movies were my favorites. I didn’t care for war movies that much. War scared me—it still does. A bag of popcorn was a dime and a Coke was a nickel, which left me three cents. So, after the movie I stopped by the local grocery next door, and with the rest of my money bought a good-size bag of candy which I would share with my friends on the walk home. There were treehouses, fights with my sister, snow forts, riding out to the area streams on our bikes to go fishing all summer. We blew up every unfortunate tin can we could find with fireworks left over from the Fourth of July (until the government outlawed them). We were continually riding in the back of pickup trucks. There were no helmet laws, or child restraints or pampering. We took our lumps and bumps and scrapes and sunburns and healed up nicely with a few scars to brag about from our adventures. I feel sorry for youngsters today. In a world of overprotective scare-mongers and parents who won’t send their children outside without wrapping them in bubblewrap, it’s no wonder kids grow up to be frightened of their own shadows and spoiled little copies of their overindulged parents. At any rate, I graduated from high school in 1962 and hired out to the CB&Q Railroad as an agent/ operator shortly after. Then, in 1965, I was drafted. After being released from the Army I returned to the Railroad, where I worked for a total of twenty years and pursued my comic career on the side until 1984, when I quit the Railroad to create comics full time. And, no, I’d never even heard of Vietnam before I was drafted. In ’65, the genie had just escaped the bottle. Right after I was drafted, the first major action between the First Air Cavalry and the North Vietnam Army took place in the Ia Drang Valley and the die was cast. Soon, Vietnam was the unspoken boogie man in every living room in the US and certainly every military base. ABRAHAM: Beyond Vietnam, were you stationed anyplace else overseas? And if so, do you or did you have a desire to return to any of those places? LOMAX: Vietnam was my only overseas duty. ABRAHAM: How long were you in the military? LOMAX: I spent only two years in the Army and mustered out in the fall of 1967. My MOS [Military Occupational Specialty] was 35B, wheel and track vehicle mechanic. I took my AIT [Advanced Individual Training] at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland, though in Vietnam my MOS was never utilized. ABRAHAM: In other interviews you’ve spoken about the poor reception you and other returning GIs received from an American public that wrongly attributed the choices and failures of the Administration to the choices and perceived failures of the fighting men. Can you elaborate a little more on that period, and that transition from soldier to comics writer/artist? It’s a transition shared by many great creators, including Robert Kanigher, Gene Colan, and I’m thinking Nick Cardy as well. LOMAX: Being a draftee, the concept of “choice” never entered into the equation. I always loved comics, Vietnam was just a rude interruption in my life. Vietnam as a subject for my art seemed like an inevitable fit since I subscribe to the old adage, “Write (and draw) about what you know.” I don’t pretend to speak for the

other artists you mentioned, but service to your country is the obligation of every citizen, in my way of thinking, and for me, independent of career choices. Blaming the warrior for the war was unique to Vietnam, and I believe a result of the draft. The allvolunteer army changed that. Back during Vietnam, the draft meant pampered little college snots faced the draft and became the insurgents in the colleges from where most of the opposition of the war was fostered. I’m not defending the war—it was stupid and should never have happened, of course. But one thing certain, the lofty position the antiwar movement claimed with righteous indignation hinged on the fact that its members’ numbers might come up the very next month when the deferment their influential daddy got for them ran out and they might have to get their ass in the grass with the rest of us poor boys without their political pull. Vietnam colored everything that followed and I am proud to say that it is the Vietnam vets who, being treated like sh*t when they came home, have determined that this new crop of veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan are received as heroes, the status they deserve. God bless them all! ABRAHAM: As I understand it, you had been a fan of comics, particularly EC Comics, prior to going to Vietnam, and the idea for expressing the Vietnam experience in the same medium as Kanigher or Jack Davis seemed like an apt idea to you. But the climate of the time following Vietnam was hostile to anything dealing with the war. Can you expound on this? LOMAX: Naw, I didn’t even want to think about Vietnam for a couple of decades, the wounds were too fresh. But strangely enough, when I did finally open up about it all, I started telling stories that those who lived them could identify with, [those who] were less able to get them off their chest. I felt that I was doing some good. Platoon changed that, the first time the country seemed ready to face Vietnam head-on. Then came that inevitable eruption of festering pus that was the Vietnam War and a chance for the nation to examine those root causes [of] why we all became so polarized. It was a lancing that was necessary to heal the wound though long overdue. ABRAHAM: So this period of “hands off” about the Vietnam War ended in the ’80s after some successful and notable movies about the war reopened a prematurely closed chapter of our history. Seeing that the time was now right to tell your story, you pitched the idea for Vietnam Journal to Mike Catron, then the publisher of the comic-book company Apple Comics. You were then, I believe, working on a funny animal comic for Apple? LOMAX: FantaSCI and “Captain Obese.” ABRAHAM: Thank you. I couldn’t find any info on this title, and indeed, many bibliographies on you are remiss in including your Apple work. LOMAX: Mainly because Apple didn’t exist prior. The imprint was new after Mike acquired it from what was previously Warp Graphics. ABRAHAM: I remember Warp Graphics. They did a lot of fantasy, elves, D&D, and anthropomorphic-type stuff. But the story you pitched was decidedly not fantasy, but a war series called Vietnam Journal. Can you elaborate on this period, and your experience of working with Apple Comics? LOMAX: As I said, I was working for Warp Graphics with Richard and Wendy Pini and I was sold with the company to Apple. Or rather, Mike asked me if I wanted to continue

on with what I was doing and I, of course, said yes. My experience with Mike Catron and [original series editor] Hilary Hughes was great. Editorially, they let me take the comic where ever I wanted to go with it, or where ever the book took me. I think most writers will know what I mean. The finished product often looks nothing like what you envision in the beginning. Projects of any worth are not restricted to a sterile outline but allowed to bloom on their own. You may plant a rose bush but end up with a prickly pear and that’s the way it should go. Truth will find a way to escape. ABRAHAM: Whatever happened to ibooks, which in 2003 released two trades of Vietnam Journal? How many issues did they manage to collect? LOMAX: Ibooks was a property of Byron Preiss Visual Publications. After the first collection of Vietnam Journal, which was the original issues #1–6, was released, which garnered a Harvey Nomination in 2003 for best reprint, by the way, and the complete series of nine issues of [Desert Storm Journal, as] Gulf War Journal was released, Byron Preiss was killed in an auto accident, putting a tragic end to the ibooks imprint. No one stepped up to take his place and the company was liquidated. We had talked about collecting the entire series but unfortunately that didn’t happen. ABRAHAM: I had owned the first ibook trade, and it did have new material. However, the trades didn’t collect your Timelines (which I thought were fantastic, and integral to the story you were telling). Neither did it collect the POW pages, your letters pages, or the publisher’s column, all of which I thought were integral to the quality and dialogue-feel you and the publishers managed to create with Vietnam Journal. So I stuck to back-issue diving and collecting the original issues. Is there a reason beyond simple editorial choice that this additional material isn’t included in trades? And is this material you would like to see collected in a trade? LOMAX: I did not hold the copyrights. Apple did and by [then] I had lost contact with Mike Catron. I would love to hear from him if he is out there anywhere or anyone knows where he can be reached. ABRAHAM: Vietnam Journal seems to have been a critical and fandom darling from the start … or is that a misconception? How do you remember it being received then, and over the years when fans bring it up to you, how do Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 79

you think it is seen now, opposed to how it was seen then? LOMAX: It was kind of odd. I never received a negative review. Almost everyone had nothing but good things to say about the book and for that I will be forever grateful. But as a financial success it always seemed lacking, whether the sporadic publishing schedule or the lack of promotion, I do not know. Of course, it was black-andwhite, and that is a nail in any title’s coffin. I would often get letters from prospective customers complaining that they just couldn’t find a copy or get their hands on one. Such was the plight of independents in the ’80s and early ’90s. At any rate, I am thankful to those true fans, many [of whom were] Vietnam vets, who were directly responsible for the book to last as long as it did. ABRAHAM: Neithammer seems to have been a character that was a mixing of your perspective, as well as a device to give the readers “eyes” and an “in” into a war and a time that is still remembered as a pivotal point for America. How much of Neithammer would you say is you? Or your viewpoint? LOMAX: Of course, Neithammer’s view of war parallels

my own. If you must fight a war, then fight it with every resource, every fiber of your collective being. Sending a country’s sons into the meat grinder with their hands tied behind their backs is criminal. ABRAHAM: Looking back on the 16 issues of Vietnam Journal, and given what has come before, and given what has come after, how do you assess it? End of the day, when the doors are closed and the shades are pulled, putting modesty aside, what do you think of it? How do you see it in terms of its genre? And how do you see it in terms of its inspirations (Two Fisted Tales), its peers (The ’Nam, Semper Fi), and its descendants (The Other Side). How do you see it in terms of your own body of work? Is it your Watchmen? LOMAX: That’s not for me to decide. I am glad I did it. Anything more than that is a gross inflation of its importance. At the end of the day? It’s a comic book. ABRAHAM: Jason Aaron, the author of the Vertigo war comic The Other Side, was very complimentary of your work when doing press for his series. And actually I think I owe a quote of his for bringing your series to my attention. What do you think when you get such praise from other pros, and realize your work has and is, and arguably will continue, to influence newer generations of writers? LOMAX: I am humbled, and think [that] perhaps their admiration, although deeply appreciated, could be showered on those more talented and deserving of their attention. ABRAHAM: Do you have a favorite issue, or issues, of Vietnam Journal? LOMAX: I think of the entire work as Vietnam Journal and each episode as merely chapters of the whole. I don’t departmentalize. ABRAHAM: Being that you were the writer and artist of Vietnam Journal, I guess it wasn’t a very collaborative process … no Marvel Bullpen. I think the myth of Stan Lee has spoiled us with this idea of comics being this collaborative process, where you go into work, surrounded by others working on the book, and brainstorm it out. Of course, we know that rarely happens. For the most part the creation of comics is a very separated and individual experience. How was the experience, the day to day, of working on Vietnam Journal? LOMAX: Well, I worked freelance for Marvel in the early 1990s. I did some ink work on Sleepwalker and wrote The ’Nam from issue #72 to its demise. Other than an ever-pressing deadline, the work was the same for me, but, I must say, doing only one aspect of a book, writing, or penciling, or inking, etc., gets a little boring. I enjoy the feeling of starting with a blank page and seeing the work through to the end. There is an egocentric rush knowing it all belongs to you.

A Busy Freelancer Our interview subject has freelanced as a writer, penciler, and inker for a variety of comics publishers. Here’s an example: Don’s inks over Tom Sutton’s pencils for Peter B. Gillis’ backup tale “Who Is the Black Flame,” from First Comics’ Starslayer #20 (Sept. 1984). Scan courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). © 1984 First Comics.

80 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

Guard Tales According to Don Lomax’s website, “Guard Tales was a one-page color comic originated by Don Lomax and published in GX Magazine [the magazine of the National Guard] starting in 2005. The comic depicts National Guard men and women in true situations of bravery and professionalism, military heroes who have, in the best tradition of our country’s proud history, put themselves in harm’s way to defend our freedom and our American way of life. You may visit GX Magazine online at www.gxonline.com.” © 2009 National Guard. Art © Don Lomax.

I have worked in the comics business, both comic and magazine work, for nearly forty years, always in the dark, always along the edges of success, and always alone. I have never met, face to face, even one other person in the business. Ask around. No one knows me or has ever met me. I am clinically a loner and enjoy the anonymity. Vietnam veterans came home to hate and ridicule, and for the most part learned not to expect a fair shake from society or the government. [Our] answer? Screw society and screw the government. More Vietnam veterans have committed suicide since their return (and the toll continues) than originally died in the war. Those of us who have made it this far have developed a protective shell that others find off-putting. Because, you see, Vietnam is with us every day of our lives. We’re the walking wounded and always will be. ABRAHAM: When the last issue of Vietnam Journal came, was it a shock, a surprise? How long did you initially intend Vietnam Journal to go on for? Were the spin-offs an attempt to finish up storylines you didn’t get to, or were they very much their own take on particular incidents in Vietnam? LOMAX: My biggest regret about the series is that after #16 [i.e., the spin-offs], I took on an inker and the work suffered. It was a time consideration that I wish I had not agreed to but it is history now. It was not a complete surprise when the book ended. With the comic market collapse in the spring of 1992 I lost all work, Marvel and Vietnam Journal in the same month. It was sobering. I had to return to doing adult comics for slick “girlie” magazines like Velvet, Hustler Humor, and Gent, to mention a few. Hey, I had a new wife and was living in my sister’s basement. You gotta pay your bills. ABRAHAM: Among your inspirations are the EC war comics. Beyond Vietnam itself and your time and experiences there, what were other artistic inspirations for the unique voice and look you had with Vietnam Journal? LOMAX: Oh, well, obviously anything by Jack Davis … of course, Will Eisner, especially the Spirit … Heavy Metal … all of the Warren B&Ws, Creepy, Eerie, Vampirella, etc. ABRAHAM: When did you know that you were onto something and had a really good comic? Was it some fan mail you got, feedback from editors, other professionals? LOMAX: I never knew it … still don’t. ABRAHAM: I see you have revived Vietnam Journal on the web. LOMAX: I am very proud of the website. I did it all myself from learning the HTML construction and

language to scanning and uploading the site myself. It was a hoot and got this old man’s juices flowing. I hope your readers will give it a look at www.lomaxcomics.com. And for the perverts in the audience (you must be 18 years old or older), go to www.comics4pervs.com. This site contains my adult magazine work. ABRAHAM: Are there any specific creators or companies you want to work with, or specific projects you want to work on? A holy grail that Don Lomax has yet to find? LOMAX: Son, being a freelancer for forty years, I never turn down any offer to work on anything without labored consideration. I’m always looking for work. ABRAHAM: Well, in wrapping up, is there anything I haven’t touched on that you would like to let readers know about? LOMAX: I would just like to present this as food for thought: Mercury orbits the sun once every 88 days. It also rotates on its axis once every 88 days. Coincidence? I think not. I am conducting a one-man campaign to have the government look into this obvious conspiracy. In other words—lighten up. Life is too short. Take it from an old dude about to wink out. Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 81

1 2

Mark Arnold

“Sad Sack” started as a silent comic strip that appeared in the pages of “Yank–The Army Weekly” during World War II. It would have gone against all predictions that the strip would be a viable and quite popular comic book well into the 1970s and 1980s. At this point, Sergeant George Baker’s creation had transcended its pantomime panels and now appeared in monthly or bimonthly verbose entries written and drawn by others. It was almost a different creation. How Baker’s strip managed to become the longest-lasting and highest-numbered Harvey comic (287 issues from 1949–1982, with five more appearing sporadically over the next 25 years) had more to do with Alfred Harvey’s friendship with Baker, a relationship so strong that Baker even became godfather to one of Alfred’s sons. When Harvey started publishing Sad Sack Comics in 1949, the “Sack” had become a civilian and the comic book reprinted newer episodes that were created especially for the Sunday funnies. Eventually, these strips were expanded from a single page into five-page stories with new artwork by Paul McCarthy and Fred Rhoads amplifying the stories with dialogue, while remaining true to Baker’s art style. Sad Sack as a civilian was not extremely popular and soon the newspaper strip faded away, but as the comic book continued, an interesting development occurred: America went back to war, this time in Korea. As the Korean conflict erupted, the decision was made to return Sad Sack to the Army in issue #22 of Sad Sack Comics, in a story entitled “The Specialist,” heralding Sad Sack’s reenlistment into the Armed Forces. By this point, the Sunday newspaper strip was long abandoned, and so the idea of returning Sad Sack to the Army was purely an idea of Baker’s and Harvey Comics. By this transition, the success of the comic book was assured and soon new Sad Sack titles were gradually added to the fold from 1955–1964, including Sad Sack’s Funny Friends, Sad Sack’s Army Life, Sad Sack and the Sarge, Sad Sack Laugh Special, and Sad Sad Sack World. Sad Sack even took a cue from Archie and its “Little Archie” series by creating the relatively short-lived “Little Sad Sack,” which originally appeared in various issues of Harvey Hits. Harvey Hits also was the title that featured “Sad Sack’s Muttsy,” which never graduated to its own title. Sales for Sad Sack slowed a bit as the Korean War ended, but rose again as the conflicts in Vietnam heated up. By the early 1970s, the time was right to expand the Harvey Comics line and especially titles featuring the more popular characters. As a result, there were numerous new titles that debuted in 1972 starring Casper, Richie Rich, and, of course, Sad Sack. These new titles included Sad Sack with Sarge and Sadie;

Fed Ex-cedrin Headache Sad Sack gets a not-so-special delivery on this original cover art to Sad Sack and the Sarge #105 (Feb. 1973) illustrated by George Baker. Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). Sad Sack © 2009 Sad Sack, Inc.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 83

George Baker (right) The original Sad Sack artist. Photo courtesy of Mark Arnold. (below) Joe Dennett Sad Sack sketch. © Sad Sack, Inc.

SAD SACK’S OTHER BRONZE AGE ARTISTS

joe dennett

paul mccarthy

84 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

jack o’brien

fred rhoads

Sad Sack U.S.A.; Sad Sack Navy, Gobs ’n’ Gals (featuring Rhoads’ Navy creation “Gabby Gob,” also a Harvey Hits mainstay); and Sad Sack Fun Around the World. As a peacetime soldier, Sad Sack did quite a lot of traveling rather than facing active combat. Sad Sack U.S.A. was supposed to feature Sad Sack and his Army buddies traveling to a different state of the Union in each issue, surely a concept to last at least 50 issues. Unfortunately, the tour of duty was cut short as the series lasted only eight. Fun Around the World fared even worse, and only a single issue was published featuring stories about Great Britain, though it would have been interesting to see if Sad Sack would actually travel to countries engaged in actual war!! Newer artists such as Joe Dennett and Jack O’Brien were added to the fold in the 1960s to keep up with the accelerated work pace. Meanwhile, McCarthy passed away as did the title Sad Sack’s Funny Friends, which emphasized McCarthy’s predilection for stories starring the General. Dennett’s art style was sketchier than the others due mainly to his previous work on Mutt and Jeff, and his Sad Sack was similar in style, though he tried to emulate Rhoads’ style as best he could. He also did several issues of Harvey Hits, featuring the adventures of Sad Sack’s dog Muttsy. O’Brien, meanwhile, developed a style completely his own and even his own concepts, which repeatedly featured Sad Sack getting knocked in the head and having an ambitious dream life. O’Brien was also the mastermind behind the “G.I. Juniors” series for Harvey Hits.

Baker by the 1970s had long retired from drawing new stories for Sad Sack, instead contributing artwork only for the covers. This artwork, although competent, was dramatically stylized so extremely different from the way Baker drew in the 1940s and ’50s that one could easily believe this was not artwork drawn by the same artist, much less the creator of the character. Baker passed away in 1975 (ironically the same year the Vietnam War ended), but left behind a goodly amount of unpublished covers, some that have not seen print to this day. By this time, Rhoads had become the premier artist of Sad Sack and started contributing covers as well. Rhoads was also responsible for creating many of Sad Sack’s supporting cast including Hi-Fi Tweeter, Waldo “Slob” Slobinski, and Sadie Sack. Rhoads wrote and drew the majority of the stories he contributed, and as a result these were some of Sad Sack’s funniest adventures. As the ’70s wore on, the Sad Sack titles’ sales declined and the titles added in 1972 were all canceled by 1974. The cancellations of Laugh Special, Army Life, and Sad Sack World soon followed. By 1977 only Sad Sack Comics and Sad Sack and the Sarge remained on the roster, Sad Sack’s franchise supplanted by the explosion of Richie Rich titles hoarding the market. Nineteen-seventy-seven was also the time when Fred Rhoads instigated a lawsuit against Harvey Comics. In it, Rhoads postulated that as an employee of Harvey Comics, he was entitled to retirement benefits and other perks usually reserved for full-time employees of the company. Problem was, Rhoads was not an employee, but only a freelancer … a freelancer with benefits as he had his health care paid for and other amenities at various times. The lawsuit originally ruled in Rhoads’ favor and Rhoads was soon in line to receive millions for his efforts. Harvey Comics appealed and the judge ruled in Harvey’s favor, so no monies were ever paid to the litigious Rhoads beyond what he was entitled for his artwork contributions. Political damage had been done and from 1978 through 1982, very little of Rhoads’ art was used and a stockpile of unpublished art resulted, much of which has not been published to this day. Rhoads went on to make personal appearances as “the Sad Sack artist” and passed away in 2000 due to complications from Alzheimer’s. In 1982, Sad Sack became a casualty of the end of the original Harvey company. Lawsuits between Harvey relatives and the ousting of Alfred Harvey from his own company, coupled with the Rhoads lawsuit, helped signal an end to Harvey proper. In 1986, a restructured Harvey reappeared on the comic-book shelves, this time without Sad Sack on the roster, although one issue of Harvey Spotlight featuring Sad Sack did make it to the stands before the Harvey characters went up for sale in 1989. When Jeff Montgomery ended up the lucky purchaser, Sad Sack and his cast of characters was not part of the agreement as the Harvey family chose to hold on to the rights to the character originated by their beloved family friend, George Baker. A few issues featuring Sad

Sack first appearances and others featuring some of the aforementioned unpublished Baker and Rhoads artwork appeared at infrequent times during the 1990s under the moniker of Lorne-Harvey Publications. Today, Alfred Harvey’s son Alan keeps Sad Sack alive with his website SadSack.net, which features unpublished artwork and various Sad Sack items for sale including the latest issue of Sad Sack Comics, #292, which was issued in 2005 in a deluxe magazine-sized squarebound paperback book. The back cover of #292 promised an issue #293, but it has not seen print as of this writing in April 2009. Would Sad Sack survive as a title in today’s post 9-11 world of terrorism and war in Iraq and Afghanistan? It’s hard to tell. From this author’s view, many back issues were snapped up in the initial aftermath of the World Trade Center disaster, so a revived title may actually perform quite well. In the meantime, fans can be satisfied with a combined total of over 700 issues already published.

Sad Sack Today The last issue of Sad Sack to be published, #292 (inset), promised an as-yet-unreleased issue #293 (above). © Sad Sack, Inc.

MARK ARNOLD is the editor and publisher of The Harveyville Fun Times!, a fanzine devoted to Harvey Comics that he has published since 1990. A show featuring original artwork from Sad Sack and other Harvey characters appeared in San Francisco, New York, and Pittsburgh during 2008 and 2009 and can be viewed on YouTube.

Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 85

getting in some “fun-poking last words” in regard to Beck’s then-recently-ended tumultous relationship with DC which resulted in him quitting the Shazam! book. Of course, Beck had many more words to say about his stay with DC over the ensuing years in various trade publications, fanzines ... and Fawcett Collectors of America. – P. C. Hamerlinck

Send your comments to: Email: euryman@gmail.com (subject: BACK ISSUE) No attachments, please!

Postal mail: Michael Eury, Editor • BACK ISSUE 118 Edgewood Ave. NE • Concord, NC 28025

DIAL “T” FOR T-SHIRT In BACK ISSUE #32’s Dial “H” for Hero article, mention was made of the Dial “H” T-shirt produced by DC in the early 1980s as a thank-you to fans who created new characters for that Adventure Comics series. Delmo “The Saint” Walters submitted this photo of one of the Tees, but the picture was mysteriously lost in the editorial rinse cycle. Delmo recently resent it, and we’re happy to share with you this look at one of the rarest Bronze Age collectibles. Thanks, Delmo!

KOBRA KORRECTIONS I just received the latest issue (#35) of BACK ISSUE and was flipping through it and came across the article by Rob Kelly on Kobra. As the co-creator and co-writer with Jack Kirby, there are a few points that Rob got wrong. I won’t go into detail since the story of the creation of King Kobra was printed in an issue of The Jack Kirby Collector. Anyway, Jack was doing the 1st Issue Specials and was not too thrilled with the idea of having to come up with a new character every issue. Not that he couldn’t, but he felt the reader was getting cheated since there would be no follow-up. Anyway, I offered to help out and come up with some ideas. One of them was King Kobra. Jack and I plotted it out and I wrote the script. Jack changed a lot of it. As far as I recall, it did not sit in DC’s inventory for a year. It was about three months from the time we did it until it saw print. When Jack got the issue, I was there at the [Kirby] house and we were both quite shocked and pissed off over the changes that had been made. Jack turned to me and said, “It doesn’t really matter. I’m quitting DC and going back to Marvel.” I’m sorry that Marty Pasko was not impressed with the story, but I think that Jack and I had a pretty good idea of where we wanted the characters and series to go if it had continued. Considering the amount of “tsuris” (look it up) it caused us, I was quite surprised and pleased to see at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con that there is a Kobra action figure coming out. Who’da thunk it?? And the character still keeps rolling along. Love your magazine. Just want to set the record straight. – Steve Sherman Nice to hear from one of the King’s protégés! Thanks for the info about Kobra’s development, Steve. – M.E.

THE JOKE’S ON C. C. BECK My pal Tom Stewart’s fine article on the ’70s Joker series—in his brief rundown of Joker #3 (Oct. 1975)—mentions that issue’s script throwing in a little Peanuts take-off. It should be noted that the take-off strip was drawn by an artist in the story named Sandy Saturn—a character which was clearly a parody of Captain Marvel co-creator/Shazam! artist C. C. Beck. Shortly after the issue had come out, I sent a copy to Beck to see what he thought about the story. He wrote back saying, “Yes, that’s me” and that Julie [Schwartz, editor] and the boys were

86 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

GOBLIN UNMASKED I enjoyed the article in BACK ISSUE #35, “When Hobby Meets Spidey.” I was amazed to learn it was always planned to unmask Hobgoblin as obscure villain Roderick Kingsley! Why? Because I had always accepted the unmasking of Hobgoblin as Ned Leeds! Why? Because an ancient piece of gossip I once heard was that Steve Ditko had planned to unmask the Green Goblin as Ned Leeds! Unfortunately, the Big Man had recently been unmasked as Daily Bugle reporter Frederick Foswell, and Stan Lee thought having two supervillains being Daily Bugle reporters was too much of a coincidence so he picked a face out of one of Ditko’s crowd scenes, said it was Norman Osborn, Harry’s father, and that he was the Green Goblin. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Ditko and he quit Spider-Man. I thought the later unmasking of Hobgoblin as Ned Leeds was a back-handed compliment to Ditko and Marvel, making use of the clues Ditko had left that Leeds was going to be the Green Goblin. I thought the later unmasking of the Hobgoblin as Roderick Kingsley was an unnecessary bit of retro-continuity! At this late date, can anyone confirm if this ancient rumor was true? – Jim Taylor Can any Marvel historians shed some light on this? – M.E.

MAGNETO’S MURKY PAST A very interesting issue. I especially enjoyed the “Pro2Pro” on “Kraven’s Last Hunt,” one of my all-time favorite stories. However, I would have some reservations about [Nigel Lowrey’s] article on Magneto. It is a bit troubling to me that the obviously controversial subject of the X-Men vs. the Avengers limited series was told entirely from Roger Stern’s point of view without any balancing statement from anyone else involved in the project and in the rewriting of its fourth issue. (Indeed, given how much space was devoted to Roger Stern’s account of the creation of the series and his condemnation of Chris Claremont’s redefinition of Magneto’s character, the absence of statements from Chris Claremont, the artists, and the editors involved both in the limited series and in the X-books during that period is rather glaring.) Also, Mr. Stern is so entrenched in his dogma of how Magneto must be written that he simply does not register facts that do not conform to his views. As people familiar with Magneto’s biography know, it is simply false to claim that “He didn’t bear witness to the Holocaust. [...] He hadn’t become a Nazi hunter.” Magneto had been shown working as a volunteer in a mental hospital specializing in the treatment of traumatized Holocaust survivors and fighting Baron Strucker in Uncanny X-Men #161 (1982), and shortly after X-Men vs. Avengers he was shown working as a Nazi hunter in the backup story of Classic X-Men #19 (cover-dated March 1988, not 1987). Both stories were in fact mentioned earlier in [Nigel Lowrey’s] article, although contrary to [Mr. Lowrey’s] assumption, CXM #19 does not establish that Magneto was working for the Israeli government; in fact, it is most likely that readers were meant to infer that he was working for the US government given that when “Control,” Magneto’s superior, speaks of “their” and “our Nazis,” he explicitly names the Russians (and not an Arab government) as “they,” and it is quite well known that in the real world the US Secret Services helped some “useful”

There was another problem with the Magneto article, Dr. Stieve— an incorrect byline. The manuscript was submitted to ye editor without an author’s credit, and I mistakenly attributed it in print to writer Ian Millsted, to whom you addressed your remarks before I corrected them. (Consequently, BACK ISSUE writers received a reminder memo about the importance of including their bylines on their articles to save themselves and yours truly this type of embarrassment.) You make valid points about the presentation of Magneto’s history. The task of synthesizing the character’s long and occasionally revised biography into one article would be daunting for any writer, and perhaps this assignment might have benefitted from an expanded page count. – M.E.

WANTED: A NEW HOBGOBLIN The article on “Kraven’s Last Hunt” was quite interesting, although I must admit I was never a real fan of the story because I always liked the character and didn’t like the idea of him being killed off. I mean, so what if he had the “same shtick” every time he reappeared? Most villains do, but at least his hunting motif was a bit different than the other big-name bad guys who usually stuck to the “Three Rs” of villainous motivation: riches, revenge, and rule the world. Is it just me, though, or does anyone else think that with President Luthor—er, I mean, Director Norman Osborn—now in control of the government in the current “Dark Reign” storyline that it might be a cool idea for a new mysterious person to take up the hooded guise of the Hobgoblin, this time as a good guy to fight Osborn’s evil plans and drive the former Green Goblin crazy (well, okay, crazier)? I enjoyed what I saw of Marvel’s short-lived heroic Green Goblin (especially the ending with the nice and I think unique twist of the teenage protagonist losing his superpowers and deciding, “Well, it was fun while it lasted...” and getting back to his normal life), and I think it would still be fun to have someone running around dressed as a well known villain stirring the pot, confusing the heck out of villains and heroes alike by doing good deeds as everyone tries to figure out who he is. The one-pager on DC’s original Wanted with its list of where its various villains were reprinted from was more than welcome, but the article I really enjoyed was the one on The Secret Society of Super-Villains. I love that comic! The interview with Mike Vosburg was nice to see. I really enjoyed his inter-dimensional barbarian heroine Starfire when she came out in the ’70s (but, geez, how many times did DC use that name before they finally found a character it stuck on?). The article on the Joker’s solo comic was nice too, and I loved the Peanuts parody in the third issue, but strangely I found myself taking umbrage [over a remark] Denny O’Neil made dismissing the Saint as being only a “Robin Hood” rather than a real criminal. Oh, I know that’s not what he meant by it, and that’s only what I heard in my own mind while reading it, but recently I’ve been reading the original Leslie Charteris Saint stories and watching the old B&W movies starting the wonderfully wicked George Sanders

as Simon Templar, and they’re a real revelation, especially after only being familiar with the domesticated-for-television version played by Roger Moore. More importantly, it’s obvious to me how big an influence the Saint was on the birth of the superhero with his wit and style and his ruthless personal war against the forces of evil, often in cheerful opposition to the forces of law and order. Has anyone ever done an article on this? The article on Magneto was interesting, although it would have been nice to have seen some mention of co-creator Jack Kirby’s attitude toward the character as stated in Captain America Annual #4, when he had Cap react to Magneto’s claim of being motivated only by the desire to save his oppressed kind from those who would destroy them by having the hero say that he had heard that before from men who used others in their selfish quest for power. Speaking of the King, loved the article on Kobra, another comic that was a major favorite way back when. Strangely, I could find nowhere any mention of Steve Sherman, a fan-turnedassistant who I read somewhere (Kirby Collector?) was the actual creator of the comic, with Jack only helping out with the character designs and the art for the first issue. Speaking of designs, or rather re-designs, the article on the pre-John Byrne attempt to “modernize” Luthor and Brainiac was nice, although I noticed it left out some stuff on the latter. Brainiac’s metallic metamorphosis of having been shot back to the beginning of time and then returning to the present as a superior being had been used before by artist Gil Kane way back in Captain Action #3 as the origin of Dr. Evil, only here with the addition of God as the “Master Programmer” and Superman presented as a sort of angelic agent created, at least in the villain’s mind, to oppose the mechanical mastermind. Also, I am surprised that Brainiac’s “Skull Ship” was mentioned only as part of a possible toy line when actually it was a major part of his redesign and was actually an extension of him with which he could merge for greater power via writhing metal tendrils, something I can’t help feeling was a major influence on such later science-fiction concepts as the Borg Queen in Star Trek. It was highly enjoyable to see the interview with Ned Beatty, and I found myself thinking that he would be perfect for the part of Doiby Dickles in the All-American alternate-universe Green Lantern movie … before, of course, finally remembering that he had been “cast” as just that in BACK ISSUE #30! And speaking of the All-American Universe, it was great to see the penultimate chapter of Bob Rozakis’ wonderful series, although I admit with a certain sadness because it brings with it the knowledge that it will soon be over. Loved his version of Crisis on Infinite Earths, especially with the story creating rather than destroying the Multiverse (something I thought was a major mistake back then...). It’s great to see that Roy Thomas was put in charge of his beloved Golden Age superheroes and that E-Man survived the death of Charlton to move to DC, and especially that even if only in a fictional universe someone published a comic called Kirby’s Kingdom. – Jeff Taylor And now for an entirely different perspective on Bob Rozakis’ AA Comics series…

THE END OF THE AA UNIVERSE Just wanted to thank you for such a great magazine. I started collecting comics in the ’80s and your mag helps fill in the gaps of history before and during my collection in the stuff I missed or just couldn’t afford to try out at the time. Keep it coming. Just one black mark in the book which makes me feel that I’m being ripped off: Bob Rozakis’ useless All-American Comics Inc. Comics Go to War Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 87

Nazis to escape from prosecution as war criminals (for instance, Wernher von Braun in the course of “Operation Paperclip”). My other major criticism of the article is that the continuation of Magneto’s story after X-Men vol. 2 #3 was treated in too brief and cursory a fashion (two paragraphs amounting to just about a quarter of a page). Marvel’s problematic attempt to change Magneto into a Sinte (instead of a Jew) in X-Men Unlimited #2 was not even mentioned in passing. And this even though that later re-retconned retcon of his origin was the source of the name Erik Lehnsherr that was used as Magneto’s civilian ID both in the Age of Apocalypse version (which also went unmentioned in the article) and that of the movies. That part of the article definitely erred on the side of brevity, it could have been nearly twice as long just by leaving out the superfluous synopsis of X-Men vs. Avengers #4 as it was published on p. 56. Oh, and the real name established for Magneto in “X-Men: Magneto Testament” is Max Eisenhardt, not Eisenstadt. –Dr. Tilman Stieve

Biggest waste of space I’ve ever read. Some of his imaginings go into the delusional, especially the so-called potential talent lineups that he thought might happen. Please get rid of this. It is just going on way too long with no pay-off. Don’t say if I don’t like it to just skip it because I don’t buy the magazine to leave pages unread. I like reading the whole thing. Please bring in the real “Greatest Stories Never Told” with plots which never happened with real comic-book companies in the ’70s and ’80s. Or you can bring “Rough Stuff” back to commandeer the pages from the useless black hole which is Rozakis’ never-ending article. Please take my suggestions to heart. – Joe Jerecic Never before has a feature in BACK ISSUE elicited such extreme reactions as BobRo’s AA fantasy history—readers either loved or hated it. It ended last issue, and while some fans won’t miss it, others will. – M.E.

“ROUGH STUFF” READER’S POLL Hey, thumbs up on adding “Rough Stuff” into BACK ISSUE. Especially if the feature I like the most, the one where Bob McLeod would critique a fledgling artist’s work, continued. – Pat Mattauch You asked in your column about bringing back “Rough Stuff.” Please DO NOT bring it back. Years ago I was at a SDCC TwoMorrows panel and you asked what changes should be made to BACK ISSUE. Basically, no one answered your query. I remember sitting in the seats thinking, “There’s nothing wrong with the mag. Tell us what’s coming up or tell us it’s monthly!” Anyway, about two months later I figured out that I coudn’t stand “Rough Stuff.” To me it just takes up space for a great article that we could have had instead. I was thrilled when it earned its own mag, but not at all surprised that it didn’t last. However, I would like to say that unused covers, or unused story panels, are always welcome. That should get priority in a book like BI. To wit, even though I have Amazing World of DC Comics #11, I thought [its unpublished Secret Society of Super-Villains art] was a perfect inclusion for the recent article you had on the SSOSV. Many people are either unaware of that story or haven’t found that rare publication. – Joe Briscuso Greetings from Spain! Yes, I would like to see the “Rough Stuff” section again in BI. I am a little worried after the cancelations of Write Now and Rough Stuff magazines. I really hope BACK ISSUE is not in danger. I am not sure the “thematic issue” format is the best in these times of crisis. A “war issue” looks great, but from a sales point of view ... well, maybe it would be safer to combine articles on high-profile series with lesser-profile ones. (Anyway, if the sales of BI are okay, forget the suggestion.) – Miguel G. Saavedra Thanks for your feedback, folks. The news is, “Rough Stuff” will return in our very next issue! However, ye editor agrees with Joe Briscuso that BACK ISSUE’s focus should be on the stories behind the stories of comics. We’ll endeavor to make “Rough Stuff” complement the feel of BI. Bob McLeod’s approach of artistic critiques worked nicely in Rough Stuff the magazine, but in BI we’re more interested in comics history than comics art theory (but fear not: Bob McLeod will resume his “Rough Critiques” in DRAW! starting with issue #19 in March). Comics colorist supreme Tom Ziuko will be producing the new “Rough Stuff” section here, and he’s bringing along an extensive photocopy archive of cover and interior pencil art. (And don’t worry, Miguel, BI’s sales remain consistent.) “Family” is the theme of our next issue! BI #38 starts with an in-depth look at JOHN BYRNE’s Fantastic Four, and includes spotlights on Power Pack, Batgirl and Commissioner Gordon, the Earth-Two Huntress, the Wonder Twins, Ultron, Marvel Marital Mayhem, the Brothers Grimm, and the Return of the New Gods. Joining us are CARY BATES, JON BOGDANOVE, JUNE BRIGMAN, KURT BUSIEK, YVONNE CRAIG, CARMINE INFANTINO, PAUL LEVITZ, LOUISE SIMONSON, JOE STATON, and MARV WOLFMAN. Look for the Rockwellian Thing/Franklin Richards cover by FF family guy John Byrne. Don’t ask— just BI it! See you in sixty! Your friendly neighborhood Euryman, Michael Eury, editor Thing and Franklin Richards © Marvel Characters, Inc. BACK ISSUE TM & © TwoMorrows.

88 • BACK ISSUE • Comics Go to War Issue

S U B M IS S IO N G U ID E L IN E S BACK ISSUE is on the lookout for the following comics-related material from the 1970s and 1980s: Unpublished artwork and covers Original artwork and covers Penciled artwork Character designs, model sheets, etc. Original sketches and/or convention sketches Original scripts Photos Little-seen fanzine material Other rarities Creators and collectors of 1970s/1980s comics artwork are invited to share your goodies with other fans! Contributors will be acknowledged in print and receive complimentary copies (and the editor’s gratitude). Submit artwork as (listed in order of preference): Scanned images: 300dpi TIF (preferred) or JPEG (emailed or on CD, or to our FTP site; please inquire) Clear color or black-and-white photocopies BACK ISSUE is also open to pitches from writers for article ideas appropriate for our recurring and/or rotating departments. Request a copy of the BACK ISSUE Writers’ Bible by emailing euryman@gmail.com or by sending a SASE to the address below. Please allow 6–8 weeks for a response to your proposals. Artwork submissions and SASEs for writers’ guidelines should be sent to: Michael Eury, Editor BACK ISSUE 118 Edgewood Ave. NE Concord, NC 28025

Advertise In BACK ISSUE! FULL-PAGE: 7.5" Wide x 10" Tall • $300 HALF-PAGE: 7.5" Wide x 4.875" Tall • $175 QUARTER-PAGE: 3.75" Wide x 4.875" Tall • $100 Prepay for two ads in Alter Ego, DRAW!, Write Now!, Back Issue, or any combination and save: TWO FULL-PAGE ADS: $500 ($100 savings) TWO HALF-PAGE ADS: $300 ($50 savings) TWO QUARTER-PAGE ADS: $175 ($25 savings) These rates are for black-&-white ads, supplied on-disk (TIF, EPS, or Quark Xpress files acceptable) or as camera-ready art. Typesetting service available at 20% mark-up. Due to our already low ad rates, no agency discounts apply. Sorry, display ads not available for the Jack Kirby Collector. Send ad copy and check/money order (US funds), Visa, or Mastercard to: TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 Phone: 919/449-0344 • FAX 919/449-0327 E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com

I=>H BDCI= BDCI=/ =/

ST STAN’S TAN’SS SO OAPBO OX: SOAPBOX: THE COLLECTION CTION 144 pa pages, ges, $14.99 9 USD Collecting ALL the g great reat “Stan’ss Soapbox” “Stan’ Soapbox” columns, c columns , 1967-1980

www.HeroInitiative.org www.AtomicComics.com

HELPING COMIC BOOK CREATORS IN NEED

Advertise With Us! ALTER EGO! • BACK ISSUE! • DRAW! (please inquire for BrickJournal rates) COVERS: 8.375" Wide x 10.875" Tall (plus 1/8" bleed all around) FULL-PAGE: 7.5" Wide x 10" Tall HALF-PAGE: 7.5" Wide x 4.875" Tall QUARTER-PAGE: 3.75" Wide x 4.875"

These rates are for ads supplied on-disk (PDF, JPEG, TIF, EPS, or Quark Xpress files acceptable). No agency discounts apply. Display ads are not available for the Jack Kirby Collector.

Ad Rates: Back cover COLOR: $800 ($700 for two or more) Inside cover B&W: $400 ($350 for two or more) Full-page B&W interior: $300 ($250 for two or more) Half-page B&W interior: $175 ($150 for two or more) Quarter-page B&W interior: $100 ($87.50 for two or more)

Bulk Ad Rates! Run the same size ad for 26 insertions and these discounts apply: Back cover COLOR: $10,000 ($385 per ad) Inside cover B&W: $6000 ($231 per ad) Full-page B&W interior: $4000 ($154 per ad) Half-page B&W interior: $2000 ($77 per ad) Quarter-page B&W interior: $1000 ($39 per ad)

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

Send ad copy and payment (US funds) to: TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Dr. • Raleigh, NC 27614 919-449-0344 • fax 919-449-0327 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com

Because everyone deserves a golden age!

THE RETRO COMICS EXPERIENCE!

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

Go online for an ULTIMATE BUNDLE, with all the issues at HALF-PRICE!

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL AVA

ILABLE

DIEGDITITIOANL AVA

ILABLE

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

BACK ISSUE #1

BACK ISSUE #2

BACK ISSUE #3

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

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

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

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

BACK ISSUE #4

BACK ISSUE #5

BACK ISSUE #6

BACK ISSUE #7

BACK ISSUE #8

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

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

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

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

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

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine with COLOR) $5.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL ONLY!

BACK ISSUE #9

BACK ISSUE #10

BACK ISSUE #11

BACK ISSUE #12

BACK ISSUE #13

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

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

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

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

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

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) SOLD OUT (Digital edition) $2.95

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL

DIGITITIOANL

BL AVAILA

ED BLE AVAILA

BACK ISSUE #14

BACK ISSUE #15

BACK ISSUE #16

BACK ISSUE #17

BACK ISSUE #18

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

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

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

“Super Girls!” Supergirl retrospective with art by STELFREEZE, HAMNER, SpiderWoman, Flare, Tigra, DC’s unused Double Comics with unseen BARRETTO and INFANTINO art, WOLFMAN and JIMENEZ on Donna Troy, female comics pros, art by SEKOWSKY, OKSNER, PÉREZ, HUGHES, GIORDANO, plus a COLOR GALLERY and COVER by BRUCE TIMM!

“Big, Green Issue!” Tour of NEAL ADAMS’ studio (with interview and art gallery), DAVE GIBBONS “Rough Stuff” pencil art spotlight, interviews with MIKE GRELL (on Green Arrow), PETER DAVID (on Incredible Hulk), a “Pro2Pro” chat between GERRY CONWAY and JOHN ROMITA, SR. (on the Green Goblin), and more. New cover by NEAL ADAMS!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine with COLOR) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

DIEGDITITIOANL

BL AVAILA

BLE AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

BACK ISSUE #19

BACK ISSUE #20

BACK ISSUE #21

BACK ISSUE #22

BACK ISSUE #23

“Unsung Heroes!” DON NEWTON spotlight, STEVE GERBER and GENE COLAN on Howard the Duck, MIKE CARLIN and DANNY FINGEROTH on Marvel’s Assistant Editors’ Month, the unrealized Unlimited Powers TV show, TONY ISABELLA’s aborted plans for The Champions, MARK GRUENWALD tribute, art by SAL BUSCEMA, JOHN BYRNE, and more! NEWTON/ RUBINSTEIN cover!

“Secret Identities!” Histories of characters with unusual alter egos: Firestorm, Moon Knight, the Question, and the “real-life” Human Fly! STEVE ENGLEHART and SAL BUSCEMA on Captain America, JERRY ORDWAY interview and cover, Superman roundtable with SIENKIEWICZ, NOWLAN, MOENCH, COWAN, MAGGIN, O’NEIL, MILGROM, CONWAY, ROBBINS, SWAN, plus FREE ALTER EGO #64 PREVIEW!

“The Devil You Say!” issue! A look at Daredevil in the 1980s and 1990s with interviews and art by KLAUS JANSON, JOHN ROMITA JR., and FRANK MILLER, MIKE MIGNOLA Hellboy interview, DAN MISHKIN and GARY COHN on Blue Devil, COLLEEN DORAN’s unpublished X-Men spin-off “Fallen Angels”, Son of Satan, Stig’s Inferno, DC’s Plop!, JACK KIRBY’s Devil Dinosaur, and cover by MIKE ZECK!

“Dynamic Duos!’ “Pro2Pro” interviews with Batman’s ALAN GRANT and NORM BREYFOGLE and the Legion’s PAUL LEVITZ and KEITH GIFFEN, a “Backstage Pass” to Dark Horse Comics, Robin’s history, EASTMAN and LAIRD’s Ninja Turtles, histories of duos Robin and Batgirl, Captain America and the Falcon, and Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, “Zot!” interview with SCOTT McCLOUD, and a new BREYFOGLE cover!

“Comics Go Hollywood!” Spider-Man roundtable with STAN LEE, JOHN ROMITA, SR., JIM SHOOTER, ERIK LARSEN, and others, STAR TREK comics writers’ roundtable Part 1, Gladstone’s Disney comics line, behindthe-scenes at TV’s ISIS and THE FLASH (plus an interview with Flash’s JOHN WESLEY SHIPP), TV tie-in comics, bonus 8-page color ADAM HUGHES ART GALLERY and cover, plus a FREE WRITE NOW #16 PREVIEW!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(104-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(108-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

DIGDITITIOANL E BLE AVAILA

DIGITITIOANL ED BLE AVAILA

DIGDITITIOANL E BLE AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

BACK ISSUE #24

BACK ISSUE #25

BACK ISSUE #26

BACK ISSUE #27

BACK ISSUE #28

“Magic” issue! MICHAEL GOLDEN interview, GENE COLAN, PAUL SMITH, and FRANK BRUNNER on drawing Dr. Strange, Mystic Art Gallery with CARL POTTS & KEVIN NOWLAN, BILL WILLINGHAM’s Elementals, Zatanna history, Dr. Fate’s revival, a “Greatest Stories Never Told” look at Peter Pan, tribute to the late MARSHALL ROGERS, a new GOLDEN cover, plus a FREE ROUGH STUFF #6 PREVIEW!

“Men of Steel!’ BOB LAYTON and DAVID MICHELINIE on Iron Man, RICH BUCKLER on Deathlok, MIKE GRELL on Warlord, JOHN BYRNE on ROG 2000, Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman, Machine Man, the World’s Greatest Super-Heroes comic strip, DC’s Steel, art by KIRBY, HECK, WINDSOR-SMITH, TUSKA, LAYTON cover, and bonus “Men of Steel” art gallery! Includes a FREE DRAW! #15 PREVIEW!

“Spies and Tough Guys!’ PAUL GULACY and DOUG MOENCH in an art-packed “Pro2Pro” on Master of Kung Fu and their unrealized Shang-Chi/Nick Fury crossover, Suicide Squad spotlight, Ms. Tree, CHUCK DIXON and TIM TRUMAN’s Airboy, James Bond and Mr. T in comic books, Sgt. Rock’s oddball super-hero team-ups, Nathaniel Dusk, JOE KUBERT’s unpublished The Redeemer, and a new GULACY cover!

“Comic Book Royalty!” The ’70s/’80s careers of Aquaman and the Sub-Mariner explored, BARR and BOLLAND discuss CAMELOT 3000, comics pros tell “Why JACK KIRBY Was King,” “Dr. Doom: Monarch or Menace?” DON McGREGOR’s Black Panther; an exclusive ALAN WEISS art gallery; spotlights on ARION, LORD OF ATLANTIS; NIGHT FORCE; and more! New cover by NICK CARDY!

“Heroes Behaving Badly!” Hulk vs. Thing tirades with RON WILSON, HERB TRIMPE, and JIM SHOOTER; CARY BATES and CARMINE INFANTINO on “Trial of the Flash”; JOHN BYRNE’s heroes who cross the line; Teen Titan Terra, Kid Miracleman, Mark Shaw Manhunter, and others who went bad, featuring LAYTON, MICHELINIE, WOLFMAN, and PÉREZ, and more! New cover by DARWYN COOKE!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL BLE AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL BLE AVAILA

BACK ISSUE #29

BACK ISSUE #30

BACK ISSUE #31

BACK ISSUE #32

BACK ISSUE #33

“Mutants” issue! CLAREMONT, BYRNE, SMITH, and ROMITA, JR.’s X-Men work, NOCENTI and ARTHUR ADAMS’ Longshot, McLEOD and SIENKIEWICZ’s New Mutants, the UK’s CAPTAIN BRITAIN series, lost Angel stories, Beast’s tenure with the Avengers, the return of the original X-Men in X-Factor, the revelation of Nightcrawler’s “original” father, a history of DC’s mutant, Captain Comet, and more! Cover by DAVE COCKRUM!

“Saturday Morning Heroes!” Interviews with TV Captain Marvels JACKSON BOSTWICK and JOHN DAVEY, MAGGIN and SAVIUK’s lost Superman/”Captain Thunder” sequel, Space Ghost interviews with GARY OWENS and STEVE RUDE, MARV WOLFMAN guest editorial, Super Friends, unproduced fourth wave Super Powers action figures, Astro Boy, ADAM HUGHES tribute to DAVE STEVENS, and a new cover by ALEX ROSS!

“STEVE GERBER Salute!” In-depth look at his Howard the Duck, Man-Thing, Omega the Unknown, Defenders, Metal Men, Mister Miracle, Thundarr the Barbarian, and more! Plus: Creators pay tribute to Steve Gerber, featuring art by and commentary from BRUNNER, BUCKLER, COLAN, GOLDEN, STAN LEE, LEVITZ, MAYERIK, MOONEY, PLOOG, SIMONSON, and others. Cover painting by FRANK BRUNNER!

“Tech, Data, and Hardware!” The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, WEIN, WOLFMAN, and GREENBERGER on DC’s Who’s Who, SAVIUK, STATON, and VAN SCIVER on Drawing Green Lantern, ED HANNIGAN Art Gallery, history of Rom: Spaceknight, story of BILL MANTLO, Dial H for Hero, Richie Rich’s Inventions, and a Spider-Mobile schematic cover by ELIOT BROWN and DUSTY ABELL!

“Teen Heroes!” Teen Titans in the 1970s & 1980s, with CARDY, GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, PÉREZ, TUSKA, and WOLFMAN, BARON and GUICE on the Flash, interviews with TV Billy Batson MICHAEL GRAY and writer STEVE SKEATES, NICIEZA and BAGLEY’s New Warriors, Legion of Super-Heroes 1970s art gallery, James Bond Jr., and… the Archies! New Teen Titans cover by GEORGE PÉREZ and colored by GENE HA!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US (Digital edition) $2.95

DIGDITITIOANL E BLE AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL BLE AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL AVA

ILABLE

DIEGDITITIOANL BLE AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

BACK ISSUE #34

BACK ISSUE #35

BACK ISSUE #36

BACK ISSUE #37

BACK ISSUE #38

“New World Order!” Adam Warlock examined with JIM STARLIN and ROY THOMAS, the history of Miracleman with ALAN DAVIS & GARRY LEACH, JIM SHOOTER interview, Marvel’s post-STAN LEE editors-in-chief on New Universe, Logan’s Run, Star Hunters, BOB WIACEK on Star Wars and Star-Lord, DICK GIORDANO revisits Crisis on Infinite Earths and “The Post-Crisis DC Universe You Didn’t See,” new cover by JIM STARLIN!

“Villains!” MIKE ZECK and J.M. DeMATTEIS discuss “Kraven’s Last Hunt”, history of the Hobgoblin is exposed, the Joker’s short-lived series, Secret Society of Super-Villains and Kobra, a Magneto biography, Luthor and Brainiac’s malevolent makeovers, interview with Secret Society artist MIKE VOSBURG, plus contributions from BYRNE, CONWAY, FRENZ, NOVICK, ROMITA JR., STERN, WOLFMAN, and a cover by MIKE ZECK!

“Monsters!” Frankenstein in Comics timeline and a look at BERNIE WRIGHTSON’s and Marvel’s versions, histories of Vampirella and Morbius, ISABELLA and AYERS discuss It the Living Colossus, REDONDO’s Swamp Thing, Man-Bat, monster art gallery, interview with TONY DeZUNIGA, art and commentary from ARTHUR ADAMS, COLÓN, KALUTA, NEBRES, PLOOG, SUTTON, VEITCH, and a painted cover by EARL NOREM!

“Comics Go to War!” KUBERT/KANIGHER’s Sgt. Rock, EVANIER and SPIEGLE’s Blackhawk, GEORGE PRATT’s Enemy Ace, plus Unknown Soldier, Wonder Woman’s return to WWII, the Invaders, Combat Kelly, Vietnam Journal, Sad Sack, the Joe Kubert School, art and commentary from AYERS, HEATH, KIRBY, ROBBINS, ROMITA SR., SINNOTT, and the return of GERRY TALAOC! JOE KUBERT cover!

“Family!” JOHN BYRNE’s Fantastic Four, SIMONSON, BRIGMAN, and BOGDANOVE on Power Pack, LEVITZ and STATON on the Huntress, Henry Pym’s “son” Ultron, Wonder Twins, Commissioner Gordon & Batgirl’s relationship, and Return of the New Gods. With art and commentary from BUCKLER, BUSIEK, FRADON, HECK, INFANTINO, NEWTON, and WOLFMAN, and a Norman Rockwell-inspired BYRNE cover!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US (Digital edition) $2.95

Books by Back Issue editor MICHAEL EURY:

BATCAVE COMPANION

KRYPTON COMPANION

JUSTICE LEAGUE COMPANION

Unlocks the secrets of Batman’s Silver and Bronze Ages, from 1960s camp to 1970s creature of the night!

Unlocks the secrets of Superman’s Silver and Bronze Ages, when kryptonite came in multiple colors and super-pets flew the skies!

A comprehensive examination of the Silver Age JLA tracing the JLA’s development, history, imitators, and early fandom!

The missing link to primates in comics, spotlighting the history of a barrel of simian superstars, loaded with rare and classic artwork and interviews with artists & writers!

(224-page trade paperback) $24.95 ISBN: 9781893905481 Diamond Order Code: MAY053052

(128-page trade paperback) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905627 Diamond Order Code: JUN068194

(240-page trade paperback) $26.95

ISBN: 9781893905788 Diamond Order Code: FEB094471

(240-page trade paperback) $24.95 ISBN: 9781893905610 Diamond Order Code: MAY063443

COMICS GONE APE!

DICK GIORDANO CHANGING COMICS, ONE DAY AT A TIME

MICHAEL EURY’s biography of comics’ most prominent and affable personality! (176-pg. Paperback with COLOR) $19.95 ISBN: 9781893905276 Diamond Order Code: STAR20439

C o l l e c t o r

The JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR magazine (edited by JOHN MORROW) celebrates the life and career of the “King” of comics through INTERVIEWS WITH KIRBY and his contemporaries, FEATURE ARTICLES, RARE AND UNSEEN KIRBY ART, plus regular columns by MARK EVANIER and others, and presentation of KIRBY’S UNINKED PENCILS from the 1960s-80s (from photocopies preserved in the KIRBY ARCHIVES). Now in OVERSIZED TABLOID FORMAT, it showcases Kirby’s amazing art even larger!

Go online for an ULTIMATE BUNDLE, with all the issues at HALF-PRICE!

DIEGDITITIOANL BLE AVAILA

KIRBY COLLECTOR #42

KIRBY COLLECTOR #43

KIRBY COLLECTOR #44

1970s DC WORK! Coverage of Jimmy Olsen, FF movie set visit, overview of all Newsboy Legion stories, KEVIN NOWLAN and MURPHY ANDERSON on inking Jack, never-seen interview with Kirby, MARK EVANIER on Kirby’s covers, Bongo Comics’ Kirby ties, complete ’40s gangster story, pencil art gallery, and more! Kirby covers inked by NOWLAN and ANDERSON!

KIRBY AWARD WINNERS! STEVE SHERMAN and others sharing memories and neverseen art from JACK & ROZ, a never-published 1966 interview with KIRBY, MARK EVANIER on VINCE COLLETTA, pencils-toSinnott inks comparison of TALES OF SUSPENSE #93, and more! Covers by KIRBY (Jack’s original ’70s SILVER STAR CONCEPT ART) and KIRBY/SINNOTT!

KIRBY’S MYTHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS! Coverage of DEMON, THOR, & GALACTUS, interview with KIRBY, MARK EVANIER, pencil art galleries of the Demon and other mythological characters, two never-reprinted BLACK MAGIC stories, interview with Kirby Award winner DAVID SCHWARTZ and F4 screenwriter MIKE FRANCE, and more! Kirby cover inked by MATT WAGNER!

(84-page tabloid magazine) $9.95

DIEGDITITIOANL AVA

ILABLE

DIEGDITITIOANL AVA

ILABLE

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

KIRBY COLLECTOR #45

KIRBY COLLECTOR #46

KIRBY COLLECTOR #47

KIRBY COLLECTOR #48

KIRBY COLLECTOR #49

Jack’s vision of PAST AND FUTURE, with a never-seen KIRBY interview, a new interview with son NEAL KIRBY, MARK EVANIER’S column, two pencil galleries, two complete ’50s stories, Jack’s first script, Kirby Tribute Panel (with EVANIER, KATZ, SHAW!, and SHERMAN), plus an unpublished CAPTAIN 3-D cover, inked by BILL BLACK and converted into 3-D by RAY ZONE!

Focus on NEW GODS, FOREVER PEOPLE, and DARKSEID! Includes a rare interview with KIRBY, MARK EVANIER’s column, FOURTH WORLD pencil art galleries (including Kirby’s redesigns for SUPER POWERS), two 1950s stories, a new Kirby Darkseid front cover inked by MIKE ROYER, a Kirby Forever People back cover inked by JOHN BYRNE, and more!

KIRBY’S SUPER TEAMS, from kid gangs and the Challengers, to Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Super Powers, with unseen 1960s Marvel art, a rare KIRBY interview, MARK EVANIER’s column, two pencil art galleries, complete 1950s story, author JONATHAN LETHEM on his Kirby influence, interview with JOHN ROMITA, JR. on his Eternals work, and more!

KIRBYTECH ISSUE, spotlighting Jack’s hightech concepts, from Iron Man’s armor and Machine Man, to the Negative Zone and beyond! Includes a rare KIRBY interview, MARK EVANIER’s column, two pencil art galleries, complete 1950s story, TOM SCIOLI interview, Kirby Tribute Panel (with ADAMS, PÉREZ, and ROMITA), and covers inked by TERRY AUSTIN and TOM SCIOLI!

WARRIORS, spotlighting Thor (with a look at hidden messages in BILL EVERETT’s Thor inks), Sgt. Fury, Challengers of the Unknown, Losers, and others! Includes a rare KIRBY interview, interviews with JERRY ORDWAY and GRANT MORRISON, MARK EVANIER’s column, pencil art gallery, a complete 1950s story, wraparound Thor cover inked by JERRY ORDWAY, and more!

(84-page tabloid magazine) $9.95 (Digital edition) $3.95

KIRBY FIVE-OH!

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF THE “KING” OF COMICS

The publication that started the TwoMorrows juggernaut presents KIRBY FIVE-OH!, a book covering the best of everything from Jack Kirby’s 50-year career in comics! The regular columnists from THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR magazine have formed a distinguished panel of experts to choose and examine: The BEST KIRBY STORY published each year from 19381987! The BEST COVERS from each decade! Jack’s 50 BEST UNUSED PIECES OF ART! His 50 BEST CHARACTER DESIGNS! And profiles of, and commentary by, 50 PEOPLE INFLUENCED BY KIRBY’S WORK! Plus there’s a 50-PAGE GALLERY of Kirby’s powerful RAW PENCIL ART, and a DELUXE COLOR SECTION of photos and finished art from throughout his entire half-century oeuvre. This TABLOIDSIZED TRADE PAPERBACK features a previously unseen Kirby Superman cover inked by “DC: The New Frontier” artist DARWYN COOKE, and an introduction by MARK EVANIER, helping make this the ultimate retrospective on the career of the “King” of comics! Takes the place of JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #50. (168-page tabloid-size trade paperback) $19.95 ISBN: 9781893905894 • Diamond Order Code: FEB084186

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

KIRBY COLLECTOR #51

KIRBY COLLECTOR #52

KIRBY COLLECTOR #53

Bombastic EVERYTHING GOES issue, with a wealth of great submissions that couldn’t be pigeonholed into a “theme” issue! Includes a rare KIRBY interview, new interviews with JIM LEE and ADAM HUGHES, MARK EVANIER’s column, huge pencil art galleries, a complete Golden Age Kirby story, two COLOR UNPUBLISHED KIRBY COVERS, and more!

Spotlights Kirby’s most obscure work, like an UNUSED THOR STORY, his BRUCE LEE comic, animation work, stage play, and see original unaltered versions of pages from KAMANDI, DEMON, DESTROYER DUCK, and more, including a feature examining the last page of his final issue of various series BEFORE EDITORIAL TAMPERING (with lots of surprises)! Color Kirby covers inked by DON HECK and PAUL SMITH!

Spotlights THE MAGIC OF STAN & JACK! New interview with STAN LEE, a walking tour of New York showing where Lee & Kirby lived and worked, re-evaluation of the “Lost” FF #108 story (including a new missing page), plus MARK EVANIER’s regular column, a Kirby pencil art gallery, a complete Golden Age Kirby story, and more, behind a color Kirby cover inked by GEORGE PÉREZ!

(84-page tabloid magazine) $9.95 US (Digital edition) $3.95

(84-page tabloid magazine) $10.95 US (Digital edition) $3.95

(84-page tabloid magazine) $9.95 (Digital edition) $3.95

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

2007 EISNER AWARD WINNER Best Comics-Related Periodical

Go online for an ULTIMATE BUNDLE, with all the issues at HALF-PRICE!

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

BL AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

ALTER EGO #80

ALTER EGO #81

ALTER EGO #82

SWORD-AND-SORCERY COMICS! Learn about Crom the Barbarian, Viking Prince, Nightmaster, Kull, Red Sonja, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, Fafhrd and The Gray Mouser, Beowulf, Warlord, Dagar the Invincible, and more, with art by FRAZETTA, SMITH, BUSCEMA, KANE, WRIGHTSON, PLOOG, THORNE, BRUNNER, and more! New cover by RAFAEL KAYANAN!

New FRANK BRUNNER Man-Thing cover, a look at the late-’60s horror comic WEB OF HORROR with early work by BRUNNER, WRIGHTSON, WINDSOR-SMITH, SIMONSON, & CHAYKIN, interview with comics & fine artist EVERETT RAYMOND KINTSLER, ROY THOMAS’ 1971 origin synopsis for the FIRST MAN-THING STORY, plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

MLJ ISSUE! Golden Age MLJ index illustrated with vintage images of The Shield, Hangman, Mr. Justice, Black Hood, by IRV NOVICK, JACK COLE, CHARLES BIRO, MORT MESKIN, GIL KANE, & others—behind a marvelous MLJ-heroes cover by BOB McLEOD! Plus interviews with IRV NOVICK and JOE EDWARDS, FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US (Digital edition) $2.95

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

BL AVAILA

ALTER EGO #83

ALTER EGO #84

ALTER EGO #85

ALTER EGO #86

ALTER EGO #87

SWORD & SORCERY PART 2! Cover by ARTHUR SUYDAM, in-depth art-filled look at Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian, DC’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, Dagar the Invincible, Ironjaw & Wulf, and Arak, Son of Thunder, plus the never-seen Valda the Iron Maiden by TODD McFARLANE! Plus JOE EDWARDS (Part 2), FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

Unseen JIM APARO cover, STEVE SKEATES discusses his early comics work, art & artifacts by ADKINS, APARO, ARAGONÉS, BOYETTE, DITKO, GIORDANO, KANE, KELLER, MORISI, ORLANDO, SEKOWSKY, STONE, THOMAS, WOOD, and the great WARREN SAVIN! Plus writer CHARLES SINCLAIR on his partnership with Batman co-creator BILL FINGER, FCA, and more!

Captain Marvel and Superman’s battles explored (in cosmic space, candy stories, and in court, with art by WALLY WOOD, CURT SWAN, and GIL KANE), an in-depth interview with Golden Age great LILY RENÉE, overview of CENTAUR COMICS (home of BILL EVERETT’s Amazing-Man and others), FCA, MR. MONSTER, new RICH BUCKLER cover, and more!

Spotlighting the Frantic Four-Color MAD WANNABES of 1953-55 that copied HARVEY KURTZMAN’S EC smash (see Captain Marble, Mighty Moose, Drag-ula, Prince Scallion, and more) with art by SIMON & KIRBY, KUBERT & MAURER, ANDRU & ESPOSITO, EVERETT, COLAN, and many others, plus Part 1 of a talk with Golden/ Silver Age artist FRANK BOLLE, and more!

The sensational 1954-1963 saga of Great Britain’s MARVELMAN (decades before he metamorphosed into Miracleman), plus an interview with writer/artist/co-creator MICK ANGLO, and rare Marvelman/ Miracleman work by ALAN DAVIS, ALAN MOORE, a new RICK VEITCH cover, plus FRANK BOLLE, Part 2, FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US (Digital edition) $2.95

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

BL AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

ALTER EGO #88

ALTER EGO #89

ALTER EGO #90

ALTER EGO #91

ALTER EGO #92

First-ever in-depth look at National/DC’s founder MAJOR MALCOLM WHEELERNICHOLSON, and early editors WHITNEY ELLSWORTH, VIN SULLIVAN, and MORT WEISINGER, with rare art and artifacts by SIEGEL & SHUSTER, BOB KANE, CREIG FLESSEL, FRED GUARDINEER, GARDNER FOX, SHELDON MOLDOFF, and others, plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, and more!

HARVEY COMICS’ PRE-CODE HORROR MAGS OF THE 1950s! Interviews with SID JACOBSON, WARREN KREMER, and HOWARD NOSTRAND, plus Harvey artist KEN SELIG talks to JIM AMASH! MR. MONSTER presents the wit and wisdom (and worse) of DR. FREDRIC WERTHAM, plus FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) with C.C. BECK & MARC SWAYZE, & more! SIMON & KIRBY and NOSTRAND cover!

BIG MARVEL ISSUE! Salutes to legends SINNOTT and AYERS—plus STAN LEE, TUSKA, EVERETT, MARTIN GOODMAN, and others! A look at the “Marvel SuperHeroes” TV animation of 1966! 1940s Timely writer and editor LEON LAZARUS interviewed by JIM AMASH! Plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, the 1960s fandom creations of STEVE GERBER, and more! JACK KIRBY holiday cover!

FAWCETT FESTIVAL! Big FCA section with Golden Age artists MARC SWAYZE & EMILIO SQUEGLIO, and interviews with the FAWCETT FAMILY! Plus Part II of “The MAD Four-Color Wannabes of the 1950s,” more on DR. LAURETTA BENDER and the teenage creations of STEVE GERBER, artist JACK KATZ spills Golden Age secrets to JIM AMASH, and more! New cover by ORDWAY and SQUEGLIO!

SWORD-AND-SORCERY, PART 3! DC’s Sword of Sorcery by O’NEIL, CHAYKIN, & SIMONSON and Claw by MICHELINIE & CHAN, Hercules by GLANZMAN, Dagar by GLUT & SANTOS, Marvel S&S art by BUSCEMA, KANE, KAYANAN, WRIGHTSON, et al., and JACK KATZ on his classic First Kingdom! Plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, STEVE GERBER’s fan-creations (part 3), and more! Cover by RAFAEL KAYANAN!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US (Digital edition) $2.95

WRITE NOW! (edited by SpiderMan writer DANNY FINGEROTH), the magazine for writers of comics, animation, and sci-fi, puts you in the minds of today’s top writers and editors. Each issue features WRITING TIPS from pros on both sides of the desk, exclusive INTERVIEWS, SAMPLE SCRIPTS, REVIEWS, NUTS & BOLTS tutorials, and more!

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

BEST OF WRITE NOW! Features highlights from the acclaimed magazine, including in-depth interviews about writing from top talents, like WAID, BENDIS, EISNER, LOEB, STAN LEE, STRACZYNSKI, JOHNS, McFARLANE, LEVITZ, ALONSO, and others! There’s also “NUTS & BOLTS” tutorials featuring scripts from landmark comics and the pencil art that was drawn from them, how-to articles by the best comics writers and editors around, telling exactly what it takes to get hired, and more great tips to help you prepare for your big break, and appreciate comics on a new level. Introduction by STAN LEE! (160-page trade paperback with COLOR) $19.95 ISBN: 9781893905926 • Diamond Order Code: FEB084082

DIEGDITITIOANL ONLY!

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

WRITE NOW! #9

WRITE NOW! #10

NEAL ADAMS on his writing (with art and a NEW COVER), GEOFF JOHNS on writing for comics, secrets of PITCHING COMICS IDEAS, MICHAEL OEMING and BATTON LASH on writing, plus more NUTS & BOLTS how-to’s on writing and sample scripts!

Interviews and lessons by DWAYNE McDUFFIE, interviews with PETER BAGGE, GERRY CONWAY,and PAUL BENJAMIN, plus more NUTS & BOLTS how-to’s on writing and sample scripts, and a JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED cover!

(80-page magazine) $5.95

(88-page magazine) $5.95

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

WRITE NOW! #11

WRITE NOW! #12

WRITE NOW! #13

WRITE NOW! #14

WRITE NOW! #15

STAN LEE, NEIL GAIMAN, MARK WAID, PETER DAVID, J.M. DeMATTEIS, TOM DeFALCO, DENNY O’NEIL, and 18 others reveal PROFESSIONAL WRITING SECRETS, plus DeFALCO and RON FRENZ on working together, JOHN OSTRANDER on creating characters, and an all-new SPIDER-GIRL cover by FRENZ and SAL BUSCEMA!

DC Comics president PAUL LEVITZ on the art, craft and business of comics writing, STEVE ENGLEHART’s thoughts on writing for today’s market, survey of TOP COMICS EDITORS on how to submit work to them, Marvel Editor ANDY SCHMIDT on how to break in, T. CAMPBELL on writing for webcomics, plus a new GEORGE PÉREZ cover!

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

BRIAN BENDIS interview, STAN LEE, TODD McFARLANE, PETER DAVID and others on writing Spider-Man, pencil art and script from MARVEL CIVIL WAR #1 by MILLAR and McNIVEN, JIM STARLIN on Captain Comet and The Weird, LEE NORDLING on Comics in Hollywood, and a new ALEX MALEEV cover!

J.M. DeMATTEIS interview on Abadazad with MIKE PLOOG, DC’s 52 series scripting how-to by RUCKA/JOHNS/MORRISON/ WAID, KEITH GIFFEN breakdowns, pencil art by JOE BENNETT, JOHN OSTRANDER on writing, STAR TREK novelist BILL McCAY on dealing with editors, and more, plus a FREE ROUGH STUFF #4 PREVIEW!

(80-page magazine) $5.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(80-page magazine) SOLD OUT (Digital edition) $2.95

(80-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

DIEGDITITIOANL BLE AVAILA

WRITE NOW! #16

WRITE NOW! #17

WRITE NOW! #18

WRITE NOW! #19

WRITE NOW! #20

Interview with Spawn’s TODD McFARLANE, Silver Surfer writers roundtable, script and pencil art from BRIAN BENDIS and FRANK CHO’s MIGHTY AVENGERS and from DAN SLOTT’s AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE, an interview, script and art by DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF on his acclaimed graphic novel TESTAMENT, cover by MIKE ZECK, plus a FREE DRAW #14 PREVIEW!

HEROES ISSUE featuring series creator/ writer TIM KRING, writer JEPH LOEB, and others, interviews with DC Comics’ DAN DiDIO and Marvel’s DAN BUCKLEY, PETER DAVID on writing STEPHEN KING’S DARK TOWER COMIC, MICHAEL TEITELBAUM, C.B. CEBULSKI, DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF, Nuts & Bolts script and art examples, and more!

Celebration of STAN LEE’s 85th birthday, including rare examples of comics, TV, and movie scripts from the Stan Lee Archives, tributes by JOHN ROMITA, SR., JOE QUESADA, ROY THOMAS, DENNIS O’NEIL, JIMMY PALMIOTTI, JIM SALICRUP, TODD McFARLANE, LOUISE SIMONSON, MARK EVANIER, and others, plus art by KIRBY, DITKO, ROMITA, and more!

MICHAEL USLAN on film writing, Dennis O’Neil on adapting THE DARK KNIGHT movie to novel form, BRIAN BENDIS script and LEINIL YU pencils from SECRET INVASION #1, MAX ALAN COLLINS discusses his career, MARK MILLAR script and BRYAN HITCH FF pencils, DAN SLOTT script and STEVE McNIVEN pencils from Spider-Man’s BRAND NEW DAY, and more!

Focus on THE SPIRIT movie, showing how FRANK MILLER transformed WILL EISNER’s comics into the smash-hit film, with interviews with key players behind the making of the movie, a look at what made Eisner’s comics so special, and more. Plus: an interview with COLLEEN DORAN, writer ALEX GRECIAN on how to get a pitch green lighted, script and art examples, and more!

(80-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

Go online for ULTIMATE BUNDLES of Write Now, Draw! and Rough Stuff, with all the issues at HALF-PRICE!

DRAW! (edited by top comics artist MIKE MANLEY) is the professional “HOW-TO” magazine on comics, cartooning, and animation. Each issue features in-depth INTERVIEWS and DEMOS from top pros on all aspects of graphic storytelling. NOTE: Contains nudity for purposes of figure drawing. INTENDED FOR MATURE READERS.

DRAW! #4

DRAW! #5

DRAW! #6

DRAW! #8

Features an interview and step-by-step demonstration from Savage Dragon’s ERIK LARSEN, KEVIN NOWLAN on drawing and inking techniques, DAVE COOPER demonstrates coloring techniques in Photoshop, BRET BLEVINS tutorial on Figure Composition, PAUL RIVOCHE on the Design Process, reviews of comics drawing papers, and more!

Interview and sketchbook by MIKE WIERINGO, BRIAN BENDIS and MIKE OEMING show how they create the series “Powers”, BRET BLEVINS shows “How to draw great hands”, “The illusion of depth in design” by PAUL RIVOCHE, must-have art books reviewed by TERRY BEATTY, plus reviews of the best art supplies, links, a color section and more! OEMING cover!

Interview, cover, and demo with BILL WRAY, STEPHEN DeSTEFANO interview and demo on cartooning and animation, BRET BLEVINS shows “How to draw the human figure in light and shadow,” a step-by-step Photo-shop tutorial by CELIA CALLE, expert inking tips by MIKE MANLEY, plus reviews of the best art supplies, links, a color section and more!

From comics to video games: an interview, cover, and demo with MATT HALEY, TOM BANCROFT & ROB CORLEY on character design, “Drawing In Adobe Illustrator” step-by-step demo by ALBERTO RUIZ, “Draping The Human Figure” by BRET BLEVINS, a new COMICS SECTION, International Spotlight on JOSÉ LOUIS AGREDA, a color section and more!

(88-page magazine with COLOR) $5.95

(96-page magazine with COLOR) $5.95

DIEGDITITIOANL BLE AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL ONLY!

DIEGDITITIOANL BLE AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

DRAW! #10

DRAW! #11

DRAW! #12

DRAW! #13

DRAW! #14

RON GARNEY interview, step-by-step demo, and cover, GRAHAM NOLAN on creating newspaper strips, TODD KLEIN and other pros discuss lettering, “Draping The Human Figure, Part Two” by BRET BLEVINS, ALBERTO RUIZ with more Adobe Illustrator tips, interview with Banana Tail creator MARK McKENNA, links, a color section and more!

STEVE RUDE demonstrates his approach to comics & drawing, ROQUE BALLESTEROS on Flash animation, political cartoonist JIM BORGMAN on his daily comic strip Zits, plus DRAW!’s regular instructors BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY on “Drawing On LIfe”, more Adobe Illustrator tips with ALBERTO RUIZ, links, a color section and more! New RUDE cover!

KYLE BAKER reveals his working methods and step-by-step processes on merging his traditional and digital art, Machine Teen’s MIKE HAWTHORNE on his work, “Making Perspective Work For You” by BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY, Photoshop techniques with ALBERTO RUIZ, Adult Swim’s THE VENTURE BROTHERS, links, a color section and more! New BAKER cover!

Step-by-step demo of painting methods by cover artist ALEX HORLEY (Heavy Metal, Vertigo, DC, Wizards of the Coast), plus interviews and demos by Banana Sundays’ COLLEEN COOVER, behind-the-scenes on Adult Swim’s MINORITEAM, regular features on drawing by BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY, links, color section and more, plus a FREE ROUGH STUFF #3 PREVIEW!

Features in-depth interviews and demos with DC Comics artist DOUG MAHNKE, OVI NEDELCU (Pigtale, WB Animation), STEVE PURCELL (Sam and Max), plus Part 3 of editor MIKE MANLEY and BRET BLEVINS’ COMIC ART BOOTCAMP on “Using Black to Power up Your Pages”, product reviews, a new MAHNKE cover, and a FREE ALTER EGO #70 PREVIEW!

(104-page magazine with COLOR) $5.95

(112-page magazine with COLOR) $5.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(96-page magazine) SOLD OUT (Digital edition) $2.95

(88-page magazine with COLOR) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(80-page magazine with COLOR) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL BLE AVAILA

DRAW! #15

DRAW! #16

DRAW! #17

DRAW! #18

DRAW! #19

BACK TO SCHOOL ISSUE, covering major schools offering comic art as part of their curriculum, featuring faculty, student, and graduate interviews in an ultimate overview of collegiate-level comic art classes! Plus, a “how-to” demo/interview with B.P.R.D.’S GUY DAVIS, MANLEY and BRET BLEVINS’ COMIC ART BOOTCAMP series, a FREE WRITE NOW #17 PREVIEW, and more!

In-depth interview and coverage of the creative process of HOWARD CHAYKIN, behind the drawing board and animation desk with JAY STEPHENS, more COMIC ART BOOTCAMP (this time focusing on HOW TO USE REFERENCE), and WORKING FROM PHOTOS by BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY. Plus, reviews, resources and more!

An in-depth interview and tutorial with Scott Pilgrim’s creator and artist BRYAN LEE O’MALLEY on how he creates the acclaimed series, plus learn how B.P.R.D.’s GUY DAVIS creates the fabulous work on his series. Also, more Comic Art Bootcamp: Learning from The Great Cartoonists by BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY, reviews, and more!

Features an in-depth interview and demo by R.M. GUERA (the artist of Vertigo’s Scalped), behind-the-scenes in the Batcave with Cartoon Network’s JAMES TUCKER on the new hit show “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” plus product reviews by JAMAR NICHOLAS, and Comic Book Boot Camp’s “Anatomy: Part 2” by BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY!

DOUG BRAITHWAITE gives a demo and interview, pro inker and ROUGH STUFF editor BOB McLEOD offers a “Rough Critique” of a newcomer’s work, JAMAR NICHOLAS’ “Crusty Critic” column reveals the best art supplies and tool tech, MIKE MANLEY and BRET BLEVINS’ COMIC ART BOOTCAMP gets your penciling in shape, plus Web links, reviews, and more!

(80-page magazine with COLOR) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

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

DIEGDITITIOANL AVA

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL

BL AVAILA

ROUGH STUFF #2

Our debut issue features galleries of UNSEEN ART by a who’s who of Modern Masters including: ALAN DAVIS, GEORGE PÉREZ, BRUCE TIMM, KEVIN NOWLAN, JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, ARTHUR ADAMS, JOHN BYRNE, and WALTER SIMONSON, plus a KEVIN NOWLAN interview, art critiques, and a new BRUCE TIMM COVER!

The follow-up to our smash first issue features more galleries of UNSEEN ART by top industry professionals, including: BRIAN APTHORP, FRANK BRUNNER, PAUL GULACY, JERRY ORDWAY, ALEX TOTH, and MATT WAGNER, plus a PAUL GULACY interview, a look at art of the pros BEFORE they were pros, and a new GULACY “HEX” COVER!

(116-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

ROUGH STUFF #1

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL

DIGDITITIOANL

ILABLE

BL AVAILA

BLE AVAILA

E BLE AVAILA

ROUGH STUFF #3

ROUGH STUFF #4

ROUGH STUFF #5

ROUGH STUFF #6

ROUGH STUFF #7

Still more galleries of UNPUBLISHED ART by MIKE ALLRED, JOHN BUSCEMA, YANICK PAQUETTE, JOHN ROMITA JR., P. CRAIG RUSSELL, and LEE WEEKS, plus a JOHN ROMITA JR. interview, looks at the process of creating a cover (with BILL SIENKIEWICZ and JOHN ROMITA JR.), and a new ROMITA JR. COVER, plus a FREE DRAW #13 PREVIEW!

More NEVER-PUBLISHED galleries (with detailed artist commentaries) by MICHAEL KALUTA, ANDREW “Starman” ROBINSON, GENE COLAN, HOWARD CHAYKIN, and STEVE BISSETTE, plus interview and art by JOHN TOTLEBEN, a look at the Wonder Woman Day charity auction (with rare art), art critiques, before-&-after art comparisons, and a FREE WRITE NOW #15 PREVIEW!

NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED galleries (complete with extensive commentaries by the artists) by PAUL SMITH, GIL KANE, CULLY HAMNER, DALE KEOWN, and ASHLEY WOOD, plus a feature interview and art by STEVE RUDE, an examination of JOHN ALBANO and TONY DeZUNIGA’s work on Jonah Hex, new STEVE RUDE COVER, plus a FREE BACK ISSUE #23 PREVIEW!

Features a new interview and cover by BRIAN STELFREEZE, interview with BUTCH GUICE, extensive art galleries/commentary by IAN CHURCHILL, DAVE COCKRUM, and COLLEEN DORAN, MIKE GAGNON looks at independent comics, with art and comments by ANDREW BARR, BRANDON GRAHAM, and ASAF HANUKA! Includes a FREE ALTER EGO #73 PREVIEW!

Features an in-depth interview and cover by TIM TOWNSEND, CRAIG HAMILTON, DAN JURGENS, and HOWARD PORTER offer preliminary art and commentaries, MARIE SEVERIN career retrospective, graphic novels feature with art and comments by DAWN BROWN, TOMER HANUKA, BEN TEMPLESMITH, and LANCE TOOKS, and more!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

DIGITITIOANL ED BLE AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL

DIEGDITITIOANL BLE AVAILA

BLE AVAILA

DIEGDITITIOANL BL AVAILA

ROUGH STUFF #8

ROUGH STUFF #9

ROUGH STUFF #10

ROUGH STUFF #11

ROUGH STUFF #12

Features an in-depth interview and cover painting by the extraordinary MIKE MAYHEW, preliminary and unpublished art by ALEX HORLEY, TONY DeZUNIGA, NICK CARDY, and RAFAEL KAYANAN (including commentary by each artist), a look at the great Belgian comic book artists, a “Rough Critique” of MIKE MURDOCK’s work, and more!

Editor and pro inker BOB McLEOD features four interviews this issue: ROB HAYNES (interviewed by fellow professional TIM TOWNSEND), JOE JUSKO, MEL RUBI, and SCOTT WILLIAMS, with a new painted cover by JUSKO, and an article by McLEOD examining "Inkers: Who needs ’em?" along with other features, including a Rough Critique of RUDY VASQUEZ!

Interview with RON GARNEY, with copious examples of sketchwork and comments. Also features on ANDY SMITH, MICHAEL JASON PAZ, and MATT HALEY, showing how their work evolves, excerpts from a new book on ALEX RAYMOND, secrets of teaching comic art by pro inker BOB McLEOD, new cover by GARNEY and McLEOD, newcomer critique, and more!

New cover by GREG HORN, plus interviews with HORN and TOM YEATES on how they produce their stellar work. Also features on GENE HA, JIMMY CHEUNG, and MIKE PERKINS, showing their sketchwork and commentary, tips on collecting sketches and commissions from artists, a “Rough Critique” of a newcomer’s work, and more!

Interview and cover by comic painter CHRIS MOELLER, features on New Zealand comic artist COLIN WILSON, G.I. Joe artist JEREMY DALE, and fan favorite TERRY DODSON, plus "GOOD GIRL ART" (a new article about everyone's favorite collectible art) by ROBERT PLUNKETT, a "Rough Critique" of an aspiring artist's work, and more!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $6.95 US (Digital edition) $2.95

(100-page magazine) $6.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

BOOKS FROM TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING

MEGO 8" SUPER-HEROES: WORLD’S GREATEST TOYS!

THE ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE

IMAGE COMICS

G-FORCE: ANIMATED

MARVEL COMICS

Exhaustive examination of MEGO and their line of super-hero action figures!

An unprecedented look at the company that sold comics in the millions, and their celebrity artists!

The official BATTLE OF THE PLANETS guidebook to the Japanese animated TV program that revolutionized anime across the globe!

An issue-by-issue field guide to the pop culture phenomenon of Lee, Kirby, Ditko, and others!

(256-page FULL-COLOR hardcover) $49.95

(280-page trade paperback) $34.95

(100-page COLOR trade paperback) $15.95

(224-page trade paperback) $27.95

SILVER AGE SCI-FI COMPANION

ALL- STAR COMPANION

GRAILPAGES

FLASH COMPANION

Explores the world of original comic book art, and the people who collect it. Includes numerous examples of many key “grail” pages, interviews, and more!

Details the publication histories of the four heroes who have individually earned the right to be declared DC Comics' "Fastest Man Alive"!

(144-page trade paperback) $15.95

(224-page trade paperback) $26.95

MODERN MASTERS

AGE OF TV HEROES

20+ volumes with in-depth interviews, plus extensive galleries of rare and unseen art from the artist’s files!

Examining the history of the live-action television adventures of everyone’s favorite comic book heroes, featuring the in-depth stories of the shows’ actors and behind-the-scenes players!

(128-page trade paperbacks) $14.95 each

(192-page full-color hardcover) $39.95

A BOOK SERIES DEVOTED TO THE BEST OF TODAY’S ARTISTS

An exhaustive look at Strange Adventures, Mystery In Space, and other ’60s DC science-fiction comics! (160-page trade paperback) $19.95

IN THE 1960s

Roy Thomas has four volumes documenting the history of ALL-STAR COMICS, the JUSTICE SOCIETY, INFINITY, INC., and more! (224-page trade paperbacks) $24.95

EXTRAORDINARY WORKS OF ALAN MOORE: INDISPENSABLE EDITION

HOW TO CREATE COMICS

Definitive biography of the Watchmen writer, in a new, expanded edition!

Shows step-by-step how to develop a new comic, from script and art, to printing and distribution!

(240-page trade paperback) $29.95

(108-page trade paperback) $13.95

FROM SCRIPT TO PRINT

FOR A FREE COLOR CATALOG, CALL, WRITE, E-MAIL, OR LOG ONTO www.twomorrows.com

TwoMorrows.Celebrating The Art & History Of Comics. TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • Visit us on the Web at www.twomorrows.com

TITANIC TOMES FROM TWOMORROWS!

ALTER EGO #90

DRAW! #19

KIRBY COLLECTOR #54

DOUG BRAITHWAITE, one of the top realistic artists in comics today, gives a demo and interview, pro inker and ROUGH STUFF editor BOB McLEOD offers a "Rough Critique" of a newcomer’s work, JAMAR NICHOLAS’ “Crusty Critic” column gives the low-down on the best art supplies and tool tech, MIKE MANLEY and BRET BLEVINS’ COMIC ART BOOTCAMP helps you get your penciling in shape, plus Web links, reviews, and more!

STAN & JACK PART TWO! More on the co-creators of the Marvel Universe, plus a new interview (and back cover inks) by Bullpenner GEORGE TUSKA, differences between KIRBY and DITKO’S approaches, WILL MURRAY on the origin of the FF, the mystery of Marvel cover dates, plus MARK EVANIER’s regular column, a Kirby pencil art gallery, a complete Golden Age Kirby story, and more, behind a color Kirby cover inked by JOE SINNOTT!

(80-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 US • Ships March 2010

(84-page tabloid magazine) $10.95 US Ships December 2009

ALL-STAR COMPANION Vol. 4

SAL BUSCEMA: COMICS’ FAST & FURIOUS ARTIST

MARVEL COMICS IN THE 1960s

Features: Colossal coverage of the Golden Age ALL-STAR COMICS! Sensational secrets of the JUNIOR JUSTICE SOCIETY! An index of the complete solo adventures of all 18 original JSAers in their own features, from 1940 to 1951! The JSA's earliest imitators (Seven Soldiers of Victory, All Winners Squad, Marvel Family, and Intl. Crime Patrol)! INFINITY, INC. on Earth-Two and after! And the 1980s SECRET ORIGINS series! With rare art by ALEX ROSS, TODD McFARLANE, JERRY ORDWAY, CARMINE INFANTINO, JOE KUBERT, ALEX TOTH, GIL KANE, MURPHY ANDERSON, IRWIN HASEN, MORT MESKIN, GENE COLAN, WAYNE BORING, GEORGE TUSKA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT, GEORGE FREEMAN, DON NEWTON, JACK BURNLEY, MIKE MACHLAN, HOWARD CHAYKIN, DICK DILLIN, and others. Edited by ROY THOMAS.

In 1968, SAL BUSCEMA joined Marvel Comics and quickly became one of their top artists, penciling such storylines as the original AVENGERS/DEFENDERS WAR and CAPTAIN AMERICA, as well as a tenyear run on THE HULK and 100 consecutive issues of SPECTACULAR SPIDERMAN. This new book by Alter Ego’s JIM AMASH with Modern Masters’ ERIC NOLEN-WEATHINGTON explores Sal’s life and career through an exhaustive interview with the artist, complete with extensive examples of his art, including a deluxe color section, and a gallery of work from Sal’s personal files! Ships Dec. 2009!

This issue-by-issue field guide presents a step-by-step look at how Marvel Comics went from being one of the least creative publishers in a generally moribund industry, to its most dynamic and original in an era when pop-culture emerged as the dominant force in the artistic life of America. In scores of handy, easy to reference entries, follow the company’s first fumbling beginnings as helmed by savvy editor/writer STAN LEE (aided by such artists as JACK KIRBY and STEVE DITKO), to the full maturity of its wild, colorful, offbeat grandiosity. With the history of Marvel Comics in the 1960s divided into four distinct phases, author PIERRE COMTOIS explains just how Lee, Kirby, Ditko, and others created a line of comic books that, while grounded in the traditional elements of panel-to-panel storytelling, broke through the juvenile mindset of a low brow industry and provided a tapestry of full blown pop culture icons.

(240-page trade paperback) $27.95 US ISBN: 9781605490045 Diamond Order Code: APR091002 Now shipping!

(176-page paperback w/16 color pages) $26.95 US • ISBN: 9781605490212 (192-page HARDCOVER with 32 color pages, dust jacket, and illo’d endleaves) $46.95 US • ISBN: 9781605490229 ULTRA-LIMITED HARDCOVER EDITION (52-copy numbered edition with a custom pencil portrait of one of Sal’s characters) $100 US • ONLY FROM TWOMORROWS!

Go to www.twomorrows.com for FULL-COLOR downloadable PDF versions of our magazines for only $2.95-3.95! Print subscribers get the digital edition FREE, weeks before it hits stores!

(224-page trade paperback) $27.95 US Diamond Order Code: MAY091042 ISBN: 9781605490168 • Now shipping!

2009 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: (with FREE Digital Editions)

Media Mail

BRICKJOURNAL #8

Features a look at the LEGO Group’s CASTLE LINE, with a talk with the designer of the first LEGO castle set, the YELLOW CASTLE, and builders that have created their own large-scale version of the castle! Plus a report from BRICKWORLD in Chicago, instructions and building tips for beginning and advanced builders alike, and more surprises! (80-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 US • Now shipping!

BRICKJOURNAL COMPENDIUM 3

Compiles the digital-only issues #6-7 (Vol. 1) of BRICKJOURNAL for the first time in printed form! Interviews with builders and LEGO Group CEO JØRGEN VIG KNUDSTORP, features on LEGO FAN CONVENTIONS, reviews and behind the scenes reports on two LEGO sets, how to create custom minifigures, instructions and techniques, and more! (224-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $34.95 US • ISBN: 9781605490069 Diamond Order Code: JAN094469 • Now shipping!

CAPTAIN ACTION: THE ORIGINAL SUPERHERO ACTION FIGURE REVISED 2nd EDITION! CAPTAIN ACTION was introduced in 1966 in the wake of the Batman TV show craze, and later received his own DC comic book with art by WALLY WOOD and GIL KANE. Able to assume the identities of 13 famous super-heroes, continuing interest in the hero has led to two different returns to toy-store shelves. Lavishly illustrated with over 200 toy photos, this FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER SECOND EDITION chronicles the history of this quick-changing champion, including photos of virtually EVERY CAPTAIN ACTION PRODUCT ever released, spotlights on his allies ACTION BOY and the SUPER QUEENS and his arch enemy DR. EVIL, an examination of his comic-book appearances, and more, including his recent return to comics shelves and the new wave of Captain Action collectibles. By MICHAEL EURY.

VOLUME 22: MARK BUCKINGHAM (128-page trade paperback) $14.95 ISBN: 9781605490144 Diamond Order Code: FEB094473 Ships January 2010

VOLUME 23: DARWYN COOKE by Eric Nolen-Weathington (120-page TPB with COLOR) $15.95 ISBN: 9781605490205 Ships February 2010 Each features an extensive, career-spanning interview lavishly illustrated with rare art from the artist’s files, plus huge sketchbook section, including unseen and unused art!

(176-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 US • ISBN: 9781605490175 • Diamond Order Code: APR091003 Now shipping!

1st Class Canada 1st Class Priority US Intl. Intl.

Digital Only

JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR (4 issues)

$50

$60

$84

$136

$15.80

BACK ISSUE! (6 issues)

$44

$60

$70

$105

$115

$17.70

DRAW! (4 issues)

$30

$40

$47

$70

$77

$15.80

ALTER EGO (12 issues) Six-issues is half-price!

$88

$120

$140

$210

$230

$35.40

BRICKJOURNAL (4 issues)

$38

$48

$55

$78

$85

$15.80

For the latest news from TwoMorrows Publishing, log on to www.twomorrows.com/tnt

TwoMorrows. Celebrating The Art & History Of LEGO & Comics. TwoMorrows • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com

A plea from the publisher of this fine digital periodical: TwoMorrows, we’re on the Honor System with our Digital Editions. We don’t add Digital Rights Management features to them to stop piracy; they’re clunky and cumbersome, and make readers jump through hoops to view content they’ve paid for. And studies show such features don’t do much to stop piracy anyway. So we don’t include DRM in our downloads.

However, this is COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL, which is NOT INTENDED FOR FREE DOWNLOADING ANYWHERE. If you paid the modest fee we charge to download it at our website, you have our sincere thanks. Your support allows us to keep producing magazines like this one. If instead you downloaded it for free from some other website or torrent, please know that it was absolutely 100% DONE WITHOUT OUR CONSENT. Our website is the only source to legitimately download any TwoMorrows publications. If you found this at another site, it was an ILLEGAL POSTING OF OUR COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL, and your download is illegal as well. If that’s the case, here’s what I hope you’ll do: GO AHEAD AND READ THIS DIGITAL ISSUE, AND SEE WHAT YOU THINK. If you enjoy it enough to keep it, please DO THE RIGHT THING and go to our site and purchase a legal download of this issue, or purchase the print edition at our website (which entitles you to the Digital Edition for free) or at your local comic book shop. Otherwise, please delete it from your computer, since it hasn’t been paid for. And please DON’T KEEP DOWNLOADING OUR MATERIAL ILLEGALLY, for free. If you enjoy our publications enough to download them, support our company by paying for the material we produce. We’re not some giant corporation with deep pockets, and can absorb these losses. We’re a small company—literally a “mom and pop” shop—with dozens of hard working freelance creators, slaving away day and night and on weekends, to make a pretty minimal amount of income for all this hard work. All of our editors and authors, and comic shop owners, rely on income from this publication to continue producing more like it. Every sale we lose to an illegal download hurts, and jeopardizes our future. Please don’t rob us of the small amount of compensation we receive. Doing so helps ensure there won’t be any future products like this to download. And please don’t post this copyrighted material anywhere, or share it with anyone else. Remember: TwoMorrows publications should only be downloaded at

www.twomorrows.com TM

TwoMorrows.Celebrating The Art & History Of Comics. (& LEGO! ) TwoMorrows • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com