Back Issue #48

DEAD HEROES ISSUE: Captain Marvel • Deadman Elektra • Flash • Jason Todd Robin • & more May 2 01

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N$o7..4985 Featuring a CAREER-SPANNING interview with

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Captain Marvel and Thanos TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

JIM STARLIN!

THE RETRO COMICS EXPERIENCE!

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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!

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“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!

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“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!

“April Fools”! GIFFEN and LOREN FLEMING on Ambush Bug, BYRNE’s She-Hulk, interviews with HEMBECK, ALAN KUPPERBERG, Flaming Carrot’s BOB BURDEN, and DAVID CHELSEA, Spider-Ham, Forbush-Man, Reid Fleming, MAD in the 1970s, art and commentary from DICK DeBARTOLO, TOM DeFALCO, AL FELDSTEIN, AL JAFFEE, STAN LEE, DAVE SIM, and a Spider-Ham cover by MIKE WIERINGO, inked by KARL KESEL!

(NOW 8x/YEAR, WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “Cat People!” Catwoman, Black Cat, Hellcat, Vixen, Atlas’ Tiger-Man and Cougar, White Tiger and the Sons of the Tiger, Wildcat, Thundercats, Josie and the Pussycats, and the Badger! With art and commentary from BOLLAND, BRENNERT, COLON, CONWAY, DITKO, GOLDBERG, LEVITZ, MILGROM, MST3000’s MIKE NELSON, and more. Cover

by JOE STATON and FREDDY LOPEZ, JR.!

(NOW 8x/YEAR, WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “Red, White, and Blue” issue! Captain America and the Red Skull, CHAYKIN’s American Flagg, THOMAS and COLAN’s Wonder Woman, Freedom Fighters, and Team America! With art and commentary from JOHN BYRNE, STEVE ENGLEHART, ROGER STERN, CURT SWAN, MARK WAID, LEN WEIN, MIKE ZECK, and more.

Cover by HOWARD CHAYKIN!

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(NOW 8x/YEAR, WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “Wild West” issue! Jonah Hex examined with FLEISHER, DeZUNIGA, DOMINGUEZ, GARCIA-LOPEZ, GIFFEN, HANNIGAN, plus TRUMAN’s Scout, TRIMPE’s Rawhide Kid, AYERS’ Ghost Rider, DC’s Weird Westerns, the Vigilante’s 1970s revival, and more! Art and commentary by ADAMS, APARO, DIXON, EVANS, KUNKEL, MORROW, NICIEZA, and more. Cover by DeZUNIGA!

(NOW 8x/YEAR, WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “Jungle and barbarian” issue! Shanna the She-Devil feature and gallery, JONES and ANDERSON on Ka-Zar, LARRY HAMA interview, Beowulf, Claw the Unconquered, Korg 70,000 B.C., Red Sonja, Rima the Jungle Girl, art and commentary by AZZARELLO, BOYETTE, CHAN, GULACY, KUBERT, MICHELINIE, REDONDO, ROY THOMAS, WINDSOR-SMITH, cover by FRANK CHO!

(NOW 8x/YEAR, WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “Spider-Man in the Bronze Age!” Drug issues, resurrection of Green Goblin and Gwen Stacy, Marvel Team-Up, Spectacular Spider-Man, Spidey Super Stories, CBS and Japanese TV shows, Clone Saga, CONWAY, ANDRU, BAGLEY, SAL BUSCEMA, DeFALCO, FINGEROTH, GIL KANE, STAN LEE, LEIBER, MOONEY, ROMITA SR., SALICRUP, SAVIUK, STERN, cover by BOB LARKIN!

(NOW 8x/YEAR, WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “Odd Couples!” O’NEIL and ADAMS’ Green Lantern/Green Arrow, Englehart’s Justice League of America, Daredevil and Black Widow, Power Man and Iron Fist, Vision and Scarlet Witch, Cloak and Dagger, and… Aquaman and Deadman (?!). With AUSTIN, COLAN, CONWAY, COWAN, DILLIN, HOWELL, LEONARDI, SKEATES, and more. New cover by NEAL ADAMS!

(NOW 8x/YEAR, WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “Greatest Stories Never Told!” How Savage Empire became The Warlord, the aborted FF graphic novel “Fathers and Sons,” BYRNE’s Last Galactus Story, Star*Reach’s Batman, Aquaman II, 1984 Black Canary miniseries, Captain America: The Musical, Miracleman: Triumphant, unpublished issues of The Cat and Warlock, BLEVINS, DEODATO, FRADON, SEKOWSKY, WEISS, MIKE GRELL cover!

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Volume 1, Number 48 May 2011 Celebrating the Best Comics of the '70s, '80s, and Beyond!

The Retro Comics Experience!

EDITOR Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow DESIGNER Rich J. Fowlks COVER ARTIST Jim Starlin COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg PROOFREADER Rob Smentek SPECIAL THANKS Cary Bates Adam Besenyodi Shaun Clancy Gerry Conway J. M. DeMatteis Chris Franklin Grand Comic-Book Database Heritage Auction Galleries Dan Johnson Paul Levitz Kelvin Mao Marvel Comics Allen Milgrom Doug Moench Derek Muthart Dennis O’Neil May Parker John Romita, Sr. Anthony Snyder Jim Starlin Brett Weiss John Wells Marv Wolfman

BACK SEAT DRIVER: Editorial by Michael Eury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 FLASHBACK: But I Still Exist! Deadman After Adams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 The creators that exhumed Boston Brand after Neal Adams’ celebrated Deadman run, with rare art by Jim Aparo, José Luis García-López, and Kelley Jones FLASHBACK: The Many Deaths (and Returns) of Aunt May . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Marvel’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Aunt has flirted with the Grim Reaper since the Silver Age INTERVIEW: A Chat with Jim Starlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 A candid, art-jammed conversation with the writer/artist of The Death of Captain Marvel and countless other classics BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: Assassin’s Redemption: The Arrival, Death, and Resurrection of Elektra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Frank Miller’s sympathetic killer, and her metamorphosis into an enduring Marvel anti-heroine FLASHBACK: The Death and Resurrection of the Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Run for your life, Barry Allen! Comics’ favorite Fastest Man Alive just couldn’t stay dead FLASHBACK: Dead on Demand: Jason Todd, the Second Robin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 The tragic tale of the Boy Wonder most fans loved to hate BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Reader feedback on our Spider-Man and Odd Couples issues BACK ISSUE™ is published 8 times a year 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. Eight-issue subscriptions: $60 Standard US, $85 Canada, $107 Surface International. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office.

Cover art by Jim Starlin. Captain Marvel and Thanos TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2011 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Publishing. BACK ISSUE is a TM of TwoMorrows Publishing. ISSN 1932-6904. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING. Dead Heroes Issue

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Michael Eury

A man appropriately named “Mort” introduced me to death in comic books.

I was an impressionable fourth grader in late 1966 when Mort Weisinger, the legendary editor of the Superman family of titles during the Silver Age of Comics, killed both the Man of Steel and his Girl Friend in back-to-back issues of Superman (80-pg. Giant Superman #193, which reprinted #149’s “Death of Superman”, and Superman #194, featuring “The Death of Lois Lane!”). Of course, these were “imaginary” stories, outside of continuity, so despite their emotional impact they really didn’t count. Superman and his gal pal were still alive and kicking.

A mere two weeks after burying the imaginary Lois, Mort delivered a “real” death: the valiant sacrifice of Ferro Lad of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Actually, writer Jim Shooter was responsible for this story, ably abetted by the superb art team of penciler Curt Swan and inker George Klein, in Adventure Comics #353 (cover-dated Feb. 1967).

Its cover warned that one of the depicted teen heroes was “The Doomed Legionnaire!”

There was no imaginarystory escape clause on the last page—Ferro Lad was gone, dead, history. What a shock that was to nineyear-old me!

Decades later, I’ve become desensitized toward comic-book deaths, as have most of you. The Pearly Gates for comic-book heroes and villains is such a well-greased revolving door that few readers take death in comics seriously. As I write this column, it’s two weeks after Johnny Storm, a.k.a. the Human Torch, apparently died in Fantastic Four #583 (Mar. 2011). Reader reaction to this story was mainly a collective yawn, with fans placing bets on how much time will pass before the Torch is reignited.

But let’s bury that cynicism for a moment, shall we, as we look back at a handful of character-death stories produced during the BACK ISSUE era of the ’70s and ’80s that delivered a punch to the gut and a tear to the eye. We examine the deaths of the Flash (Barry Allen), Robin (Jason Todd), and Elektra in articles that also explore their resurrections, plus we survey Peter Parker’s Aunt May’s numerous deaths and near-deaths. Our cover feature allows us to get up close and personal with the amazing Jim Starlin, a man whose myriad achievements include the “final” stories of quite a few heroes (including the frequently reprinted and perpetually praised graphic novel, The Death of Captain Marvel), and we open our issue with an exploration of how the deadest of dead heroes—Deadman—received new leases on life after his original series ended.

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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.

TM & © DC Comics.

by

Artwork submissions and SASEs for writers’ guidelines should be sent to: Michael Eury, Editor BACK ISSUE 118 Edgewood Ave. NE Concord, NC 28025

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®

From a commercial viewpoint, Deadman was a dead-end.

For two golden years, the DC Comics series had earned critical raves from a devoted core of comics fans but never managed to expand that passion into mainstream appeal.

And yet it was, to a great degree, those fans that refused to allow the ghost of Boston Brand to fade away.

THE EARLY “LIFE” OF DEADMAN

by

John Wells

Created in 1967 by writer Arnold Drake, “Deadman” was an unusually adult series about a cynical aerialist named Boston Brand who risked his life nightly for the cash-strapped Hill Brothers Circus. Dressed in a redand-white costume with a skull-like head mask when he performed as Deadman, Brand inadvertently made himself a target. Shot and killed by a mysterious sniper with a steel claw for a right hand, Deadman survived as a spirit that could magically inhabit and control the bodies of other human beings. According to circus fortune teller Vashnu, Brand had found favor in the eyes of goddess Rama Kushna, and that Eastern deity promised Deadman that his supernatural second life would continue until he found his killer. Boston Brand’s anger over his fate helped define the series and set Deadman apart from DC’s more even-tempered heroes.

Published in Strange Adventures #205 (Oct. 1967), Drake’s first installment of Deadman was a tour de force complemented by one of artist Carmine Infantino’s greatest art jobs. The assignment coincided with Infantino’s ascension to a new post as DC’s art director, and the illustrator tapped a newcomer to succeed him in #206. His name was Neal Adams.

Bringing a hyper-realistic style to the series, Adams quickly made the series his own, eventually becoming both writer and artist on the feature in #212.

Much of the series revolved around the circus cast, notably owner Lorna Hill, slow-witted strongman Tiny, and Rama Kushna’s disciple Vashnu. Boston’s estranged twin brother Cleveland entered the series in #211, subsequently posing as his sibling in the hope that a revival of the Deadman circus act would draw out the killer who’d been dubbed “the Hook.”

With the blessing of incoming editor Dick Giordano, Adams resolved Deadman’s pursuit of his killer in a climactic two-parter in Strange Adventures #215–216.

In short, the Hook’s execution of Boston Brand had been nothing more than an initiation exercise to win membership in an international Society of Assassins. Duped by Cleveland Brand’s impersonation, the Society’s leader— an aged martial artist called the Sensei—judged the Hook a failure and personally vowed to kill him in a death duel.

Horrified that he was going to be cheated of his vengeance, Deadman attempted to intervene and was stunned when he couldn’t possess the Sensei’s body as he did others. Now the Hook was dead and Boston Brand

Breaking the Barrier Detail from the cover to Deadman (the miniseries) #3 (May 1986). Art by one of the post–Adams artists most associated with the character, José Luis García-López.

TM & © DC Comics.

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TM & © 2011 DC Comics.

Prince of Wails An anguished Deadman, as rendered (and written) by Neal Adams on page 19 of Strange Adventures #212 (May–June 1968). From the original art, courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com).

Adams’ cover art graced the Deadman appearances in (above) Challengers #74 and (bottom right) JLA #94.

raged at Rama Kushna over the hollow victory. And why DEADMAN’S NEW GENESIS had he not ascended to the afterlife? Why did he still exist? DC continuity may have taken one step forward thanks Traveling to the secret Himalayan city of Nanda Parbat, to JLA #94, but Deadman’s personal history took two Deadman discovered that he once again had a human steps back in Forever People #9 (June–July 1972). body within its confines and struck a deal with the Mystified as to why he hadn’t gone on to his eternal rest goddess. He’d continue to fight evil until finding the and seemingly no longer capable of possessing bodies, fulfillment he’d failed to achieve through his killer’s demise. Boston Brand had to rely on former circus charlatan The new direction came too late for the series, but Trixie Magruder to reestablish his link with the mortal Deadman found a refuge of sorts in The Brave and the Bold. plane via a séance. In the process, she revealed that Several months earlier in #79, the ghostly hero had met Deadman was still tied to Earth because the Hook had Batman in a memorable story by Bob Haney and Adams. not been his killer. “The hook was on his left hand,” With the relationship established, a second she intoned. “The man who killed Boston team-up seemed appropriate in #86 to tie Brand had a hook on his right hand!” up loose ends from Strange Adventures. In The Forever People, youthful visitors a novel touch, Adams created further from the advanced world of New Deadman short stories in 1970’s Genesis, were moved by Deadman’s Aquaman #50–52 and Challengers plight and used their godly technology of the Unknown #74 that were linked to create an artificial body for the to the lead features in each issue. hero in issue #10. Described as a [Editor’s note: See BACK ISSUE #45 Follower, the human shell absorbed for an article about the odd-couple bullets and seemed, in its limited team-up of Aquaman and Deadman.] usage, to be immune to harm. The new The last such exercise took place in Deadman was now, incongruously, Justice League of America #94 (Nov. a hero that couldn’t die!

1971), where Adams illustrated four By the early 1970s, there were NEAL ADAMS pages featuring the Sensei and two approaches to creating comic Deadman in a story written by Mike books that fans held in higher Friedrich. The episode focused on the Sensei assigning esteem than any other. One was the bombastic the assassin Merlyn to kill Green Arrow, but it held exaggeration and energy exemplified by Jack Kirby greater significance in its ingenious dovetailing of at Marvel. The other was the more naturalistic separate strands of DC Comics lore. perspective of Neal Adams. In Forever People, two Longtime DC fans associate the League of worlds collided and Kirby—its writer/artist—bore the Assassins with the Sensei and major Batman adversary brunt of the criticism.

Ra’s al Ghul, and yet neither was affiliated with the Kirby had left Marvel for DC in 1970 to create a group in 1971. The Sensei had overseen the Society of new series of interrelated books including New Gods.

Assassins and Denny O’Neil’s Ra’s, while the leader of His wish to develop original characters occasionally a vast, vaguely defined organization, would seem to came into conflict with DC’s desire—through president be, on the face of it, an adversary of the League since it was they (at the command of Doctor Darrk) who kidnapped his daughter Talia in the recent Detective Comics #411. In JLA #94, Friedrich established that all the villains were part of the same global network and that the treacherous Sensei and his killers were ostensibly protecting Ra’s.

TM & © DC Comics.

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and publisher Carmine Infantino—to have him find was positive but the four dissenting readers really fresh approaches to preexisting characters, whether hated it, objecting to the jarring departure from Superman, Jimmy Olsen, or… Deadman.

Adams’ art style, the stiff formal dialogue, and the Blanching at the very name of the hero, Kirby resumption of Deadman’s search for his killer. grudgingly agreed to do something with the Most ironically, Evanier recalled, “the folks in the DC character. Casting about for a new direction, he was office hated it. It wasn’t the Deadman they knew interested in the opinion of his young assistant and loved, never mind that Jack’s assignment Mark Evanier that the character lost focus had been to change it.” when he found his killer. Evanier added Deadman’s new body never appeared that the first Deadman story had again and the hero’s last word on the depicted the killer as having a claw on subject came in 1979’s Adventure Comics his right arm while the pivotal Hook #464. “Some guys built a robot for me story in Strange Adventures #215 had once,” he sighed, “and that worked shown it on his left. That discrepancy about as well as a concrete wheel.” was enough to justify reopening the In anticipation of the Kirby closed case. revival, DC had reprinted Deadman’s “Jack did not disagree,” Evanier origin and a later Adams story in wrote in Jack Kirby’s Fourth World The Brave and the Bold #97 and 100.

Omnibus #3 (2007), “but he thought And it was in B&B #104 that the Deadman had a greater problem: character would return in another Jack Kirby ‘He doesn’t have a body. How can you new adventure, blissfully ignoring have a superhero who doesn’t have a everything that just happened in body?’ It meant Deadman kept getting lost in his own Forever People. Batman had been the first costumed stories. Even when he was there, he was someone else. Heck, hero that Deadman interacted with, and their he couldn’t even punch out a villain, at least as Deadman. friendship was one that DC faithfully returned to Kirby decided to make both changes: Give Deadman a again and again over the years. This particular solid form and resume the hunt for his murderer.” episode found Batman recruiting his ghostly ally to According to the letters column in Forever People help close down a Florida resort that was secretly #11, most of the mail response to the first installment creating new identities for mobsters.

Dead Heroes Issue

Roving Spirit (left) Deadman’s guest shot in Jack Kirby’s Forever People #10 (Aug.–Sept. 1972) made some readers wish the character had stayed “dead,” while (right) editor Murray Boltinoff resurrected Deadman time and time again as a Batman teammate in The Brave and the Bold, as in issue #104 (Nov.–Dec. 1972; cover by Nick Cardy).

TM & © DC Comics.

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Boston’s Dreams Die (above) The heartbroken Deadman from the end of B&B #104, by Bob Haney and Jim Aparo.

Haney’s next Deadman outing— in World’s Finest #223 (right, with a Cardy cover)—featured Bruce Wayne’s previously unknown sibling!

TM & © DC Comics.

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Visually, the character was on-model, so much so that impeccable artist Jim Aparo referenced Neal Adams poses right up to Deadman’s anguished cry in the final panel. Characterization-wise, writer Bob Haney was less on the money in his portrayal of a dangerously love-struck Boston Brand. The leader of the mob operation was a beautiful woman named Lilly Lang whom Deadman romanced by inhabiting the body of her boyfriend. Misinterpreting a cryptic message from Rama Kushna, Boston gunned down Lilly as she was attempting to murder Batman in the deluded belief that she’d become a ghost like him.

The story’s title notwithstanding, there’d be no “second chance for a Deadman” here.

That came when Haney returned to the character in World’s Finest Comics #223 (May–June 1974). In the sort of outrageous plot twist that the writer was famous for, Batman discovered that the mysterious Boomerang Killer who’d been terrorizing Gotham City was no less than his long-lost brother, Thomas Wayne, Jr.! Suffering a traumatic brain injury as a child, Tom, Jr. had been institutionalized in a facility named Willowwood until a villain manipulated him into killing his enemies. The final shocker came in the last panel when Deadman decided that he’d permanently inhabit the body of Batman’s sibling and start a new life for himself.

A sequel appeared eight months later in #227, where a furious Batman linked Deadman to aerialist Red “Daredevil” Devlin and demanded that the ghost relinquish his brother’s body. The matter became a non-issue when Deadman temporarily left his new body and Tom, Jr. leapt in front of a bullet meant for Batman. Perhaps, Deadman suggested, “some old memory or instinct told him who you really are.”

Afterwards, everyone at DC pretended the two stories never happened short of an oblique reference by writer Grant Morrison in 2010’s Batman #702.

Trivia note: When he inhabited Superman’s body in World’s Finest #223, Deadman discovered that he couldn’t make the hero’s powers work thanks to a disconnect with his Kryptonian makeup. Six years later in DC Comics Presents #24, the powers worked just fine, but Boston lacked the necessary finesse to use them safely.

NO HOME FOR A DEADMAN A year earlier in 1973, it had seemed another new beginning was on the horizon. An item in Adventure Comics #428’s letters column declared, “Arnold Drake, the creator of Deadman, dropped by our office the other day with a whole bunch of new plots for our resident ghost and Deadman will return! A booklength adventure of Deadman, followed by two more episodes of undetermined length, will appear very soon.” In fact, a new series featuring a ghostly hero did debut in #431—but its star was the Spectre and the creative team Michael Fleisher and Jim Aparo!

“The proposed Deadman series didn’t work out too well,” it was explained in issue #433’s text page, “so it was put on the shelf for the time being.”

Drake had, however, begun scripting DC’s Phantom Stranger title and brought in Deadman for a guest-appearance in #33 midway into 1974.

The writer later asserted in Alter Ego #17 (Sept. 2002) that he’d only read two Deadman stories since Strange Adventures #206 (“One was pretty good, and one I hated”), so his version of Boston Brand was still actively searching for his killer.

In sharp contrast to his harmonious relationship with Batman, Deadman didn’t get along with the Stranger at all, irritated with his cryptic nature and his efforts to keep Boston from crossing moral lines.

An enemy of the Stranger called Doctor Zorn stirred the coals by falsifying evidence that suggested the black-clad hero was Boston’s killer.

All told, it was a satisfying story, with a fine art job

by Adams-influenced newcomer Mike Grell. On the whole, Drake’s run on The Phantom Stranger had been an enormously unpopular one with fans and he was replaced within a few issues, first by David Michelinie in belated retaliation for his defeat in The Brave and the and then Paul Levitz.

Bold #86. The Stranger swept in to rescue Cleve (along Levitz has no recollection of Drake’s earlier with Lorna Hill and Tiny) and it was only on the last page Adventure Comics treatment. “I remember differing that Boston Brand himself arrived. Grateful that his friends with Arnold over his treatment of the character at and family had been saved, Deadman hung around for the time,” he tells BACK ISSUE, “which pretty much the next two issues to help fight nether-gods. picked up where his early stories left off.

By the end of #41, the ghostly hero was That may have been part of the problem, fed up, frustrated that he was responsible and certainly I was an active advocate for the death of an innocent man whose for the end of his Phantom Stranger body he’d possessed: “I’m gonna go run, which tied into it. Mercifully, ask Rama to reshuffle the deck.

Arnold forgave me for my youthful It’s okay to risk my neck playing overreaching in later years when we hot-shot hero—but this borrow-abecame friends.” body-and-blow-it-up business stinks!”

Levitz had functioned as editor Exactly where that was leading Joe Orlando’s assistant on the book would have been addressed by and was well aware that the book’s Martin Pasko in a Deadman backup sales were sinking. A passionate series meant to begin in #42. fan of Deadman, the young writer Like Levitz, the writer was a huge proposed adding the character to fan of the character and had served arnold drake The Phantom Stranger on a permanent as script consultant on the guestbasis, reasoning that the addition of appearances—appearances that were his fan base might be enough to tilt the scales away too little, too late. The Phantom Stranger was canceled from cancellation. with #41 and Pasko’s solo series was left merely as Technically, the Deadman in Phantom Stranger #39 something that would “probably pop up in was Cleveland Brand, targeted for death by the Sensei Adventure Comics.”

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Deadman’s Bluff Writer Arnold Drake returned to Deadman in Phantom Stranger #33 (Oct.–Nov. 1974), featuring (above) interior artwork by thennewcomer Mike Grell and (left) an Aparo cover.

TM & © DC Comics.

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More Team-Ups (above) Neal Adams paired the two ghostly heroes he had previously drawn, Deadman and the Spectre, in this pinup in the 1977 Super DC Calendar. Meanwhile, Deadman continued to bop about the DC Universe, in (right) DC Super-Stars #18 and (below) Challengers of the Unknown #84.

TM & © DC Comics.

“There wasn’t any grand DC mandate to keep him going,” Levitz explains to BACK ISSUE. “I (and Len [Wein] and others) liked the concept, in my case back to the first cover which remains one of my favorites of all time as a story hook (pun notwithstanding).

The attraction was the fact that he was very different dead. So much for the remorse he was feeling in from most DC heroes: not just being dead, but the Phantom Stranger. Oh, and Boston also inhabited a mystic dimension (at the time, rarely touched on with portrait in a picture frame and made the face talk!

And yet… that issue sold very well, well enough the Spectre or Phantom Stranger, for example) and his attitude, which definitely reflected his Arnold Drake that Paul Levitz was able to persuade publisher Jenette origin. Only the Doom Patrol had that kind of an edge, Kahn to authorize a Deadman/Phantom Stranger issue of DC Super-Stars (#18) for Halloween. In the process, and they were out of action in those years.”

The continuity-conscious Levitz even penned an article Levitz finally gave Marty Pasko the chance to write a Deadman story, an adventure set in famed Rutland, on Deadman’s confused history for The Amazing Vermont, that added another trick to Boston World of DC Comics #8 (Sept.–Oct. 1975).

Brand’s repertoire. He possessed the body “Generally speaking,” he wrote, “the more of a man who just died and, through sheer consistent a series is, the tighter the force of will, moved it into the maw of behind-the-scenes editorial control has a demon that had been aiming at a been. And, naturally, the best way to live sacrifice. weaken that control is to place the Two weeks later, Deadman headcharacter under the guidance of lined The Brave and the Bold Special more than one editor. …Deadman’s (real title: DC Special Series #8) along role as a perennial supporting with Sgt. Rock—writer Bob Haney character … had him popping in and really liked earthy heroes—to carry out out of magazines edited by Jack Miller, a mission from Rama Kushna to Dick Giordano, Murray Boltinoff, prevent Lucifer (as in the Devil) from Julie Schwartz, Jack Kirby and Joe destroying Batman. (Incidentally, as paul levitz Orlando… which is enough to drive they read these issues, hardcore fans anyone’s continuity crazy.” had their 1977 Super DC Calendar on Levitz accompanied the article with a reading guide that placed his appearances in the wall with a stunning October illustration by Neal Forever People and Phantom Stranger #33 before Adams featuring Deadman and the Spectre.)

Meanwhile, Deadman and Swamp Thing both Strange Adventures #214–216. In other words, Boston Brand hadn’t reopened his own murder case. became regulars in Challengers of the Unknown #84–87 The Kirby and Drake stories just took place before he in the hope that the collective batch of heroes would keep the book from being canceled. That didn’t tracked down the Hook.

Still, consistency was too much to hope for. When happen, but 1977—which had also included a Boston he next appeared with Batman in The Brave and the Brand appearance in Superman Family #183’s Lois Lane Bold #133 (Apr. 1977), Deadman possessed the faithful story—turned out to be a good year for Deadman, bodyguard of a mobster and allowed him to be shot and 1978 held the prospect of being better.

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Cleveland Brand was still performing as the flesh-and-blood FROM EXPLOSION TO IMPLOSION Deadman, but he’d taken a Russian bride named Inga since In June, Boston Brand finally got that series in the Levitzhis last appearance in Phantom Stranger. (Cleve edited Adventure Comics that had been promised was also joined by his teenage daughter Lita, for five years! As part of a line-wide expansion previously seen in Strange Adventures dubbed the DC Explosion, the title #211–212.) Inga’s scientist father had became a thick Dollar Comic with created a device that could transform multiple series including headliners thought into reality and Deadman Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Green immediately grasped the implication Lantern. Helming Deadman was writer that it could conjure up a physical body Len Wein and artist Jim Aparo. to inhabit once more. Alas, a variety of A month later, Deadman was slated evil sources wanted that power for to star in Showcase #105 as a tryout for themselves and the ghost had to destroy an ongoing series also produced by the device before disaster struck.

Wein and Aparo (with Gerry Conway Afterwards, Rama Kushna assured scripting the back half). It seemed Boston that the device wouldn’t have that a S.T.A.R. Labs facility studying jim aparo been a long-term success anyway psychic phenomena had been built on and that he should accept his “selfthe site where Boston Brand was killed and was now being plagued by accidents that—for lack appointed mission to balance the good and evil in this of a better explanation—the scientists blamed on his world—for it may be yours for an eternity.” His face ghost. Deadman was drawn to the lab by a séance and contorted in rage, Deadman screamed. stuck around to determine who was really the blame.

Much of Conway’s half of the adventure took place on the astral plane as Deadman learned that scientist Conrad Cabel was an omnipath who was controlling the latent telekinetic powers of his colleague Annabelle Lee. The story Wein initially conceived drew heavily on the late Adams period with appearances by the Sensei and Tatsinda (an alien woman from the trilogy in Aquaman #50–52) in the land of Nanda Parbat. “The first chapter was already scripted when we decided that there were too many elements from Deadman’s past to make it a true SHOWCASE of what the character was about,” Paul Levitz explained in the issue’s letters column.

“The second plotting brought us to the S.T.A.R. research lab and the present cast of characters, but with some very different motivation and a method of summoning Boston’s ghost that we reserve for future use. Len went back and re-scripted the middle section based on this, and then just as he reached the middle of the story, we plotted the story out yet again to clarify some of the changed elements.”

As the deadline loomed, Wein fell ill and Gerry Conway was drafted to complete the story. “It was relatively easy for Gerry to adapt his style to match Len’s, but to allow him maximum creative freedom in finishing the story, he was given no clues to what Len had planned for the last half—just the completed manuscript pages for the first half. Naturally he picked up on the ideas in the first half, but with several novel twists of his own.”

With a birth process as drawn out as that, you just knew something was going to go wrong. A skittish Warner Communications pulled the plug of the line expansion and the DC Explosion became the DC Implosion.

Marginal titles and series too new to have accurate sales reports were canceled on the spot. Showcase ended with #104 and the following issues’ Deadman and Creeper stories were hastily published only in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2, a photocopied compilation distributed only to DC staffers who’d produced work therein.

Fans not privy to the behind-the-scenes turmoil were understandably baffled as to why Showcase #105— advertised in July house ads and even a Daily Planet promotional page—never appeared. Nine months later, the story was worked into 1979’s Adventure Comics #464, albeit trimmed of a two-page sequence and its original cover.

Happily, the parallel Deadman series in Adventure Comics rose above it all with a busy five-parter (#459–463) that brought in the whole Hill Brothers Circus cast.

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Dead Again The infamous DC Implosion deepsixed Deadman’s solo shot planned for Showcase #105.

Art photocopy from the pages of Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2, courtesy of John Wells. Art by Aparo.

TM & © DC Comics.

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A Rescue Unpublished (above) Photocopies of two Jim Aparodrawn pages from the canceled Showcase #105, featuring the Ghostly Guardian’s rescue of a young boy.

The Showcase tale eventually saw print in (right) Adventure #464 (July–Aug. 1979).

TM & © DC Comics.

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A NEW ARTIST FOR DEADMAN From 1972 to 1978, Jim Aparo had been Deadman’s de facto regular artist, illustrating most of the character’s cover appearances even if he only drew six actual stories.

With Adventure Comics #462, the baton was passed to José Luis García-López, who was more than up to the challenge.

Wein’s down-to-earth scripts for #465 and 466 suited the new artist particularly well, pulsing with life in their depictions of bustling neighborhoods and ordinary people.

“I found the character easy to work with,” García-López told Bruce MacIntosh in BACK ISSUE #15 (Apr. 2006). “He was more ‘human’ than most of the superheroes I did until then, and he was involved with very human stories and characters.

I remember more emotion than action, something that appeals more to me than random and gratuitous violence.”

The artist was particularly fond of #466’s moving “Never Say Die,” which Wein dedicated to the memory of his father Philip. Watching elderly Abraham Gold feed pigeons in the park, Deadman was stunned when he pulled out a gun and prepared to commit suicide rather than endure a prolonged death from cancer. Inhabiting the body of one of the birds, Boston knocked the gun from his hand and the old man took it as a sign.

Returning home to the arms of his beloved granddaughter, Abraham was furious that his son Jacob was dealing drugs again and a bitter fight ensued. The old man resolved to kill his son’s drug supplier, unaware that he’d convinced Jacob to quit selling them. Already blaming

Graverobbing (left) The third page of the child-rescue sequence from Showcase #105.

When the tale was finally published in Adventure #464 (below), the scene with the boy had been trimmed from the story.

TM & © DC Comics.

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At the end of year, a revitalized Deadman—with script

by Cary Bates and art by co-creator Carmine Infantino— charged in to save a near-fatally poisoned Batman in Detective Comics #500, attempting to persuade his spirit from moving on. In a nice touch, Boston could only go so far, observing that he wasn’t “allowed to even get a glimpse of that mysterious white light district.”

DEADMAN IN THE ’80s

Body Snatcher A 1986 Deadman commissioned illo by José Luis García-López.

Courtesy of Anthony Snyder (www.anthonysnyder.com).

TM & © DC Comics.

For the first half of the 1980s, Deadman faded from view entirely, his presence felt only through those he’d interacted with. During 1979 and 1980, Batman was caught in the middle of a feud between the Sensei and Ra’s al Ghul that climaxed in Detective Comics #490 that climaxed with their seeming deaths. Former acrobat Dick Grayson spent some time performing with the Hill Brothers Circus—including Cleve Brand—in a series of Robin stories in 1981’s Batman #337–339 and 341. Even Trixie Magruder crossed paths with Hawkman in World’s Finest #262. And while Shakira— either a woman who turned into a cat or a cat who turned into a woman—wasn’t a Deadman character, writer/artist Mike Grell freely admitted that the character he introduced in 1980’s Warlord #32 was based on Boston Brand’s one-time acquaintance Tatsinda.

A miniseries proposal by Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn circa 1983 came to nothing, but Deadman burst back on the scene late in 1984 via white-hot writer Alan Moore. Since Detective #500, Boston Brand had been exploring the realm of the just-dead, helping confused spirits comprehend their fate before they moved on toward the light. In Swamp Thing Annual #2, Deadman met Swamp Thing as the elemental sought the spirit of Abigail Arcane. Beyond continuing the prickly relationship between Deadman and the Phantom Stranger, Moore also had Boston reassure Swampy that he needn’t worry about being in the himself for this course of action, Deadman compounded presence of God: “As I understand it, there’s a woman matters by inadvertently getting Abraham shot when running the show. Her name’s Rama Kushna.”

Appearances in 1985’s groundbreaking Crisis on he inhabited his body to stop him. Cradling his dying father, Jacob vowed to repent and Boston Infinite Earths 12-issue series and the climax of Moore’s “American Gothic” in 1986’s Swamp Thing #49–50 Brand was left reeling.

At this point, Adventure Comics abandoned its elevated Deadman’s status as a major player in DC’s spiritual planes, while the unpredictable DC Challenge oversized format and entire lineup. “One of the #4–12 (1986) emphasized his part in the reasons why Deadman has gone into limbo, greater DC Universe. rather than another magazine, is simply The same period saw DC begin that it was no longer possible to do reprinting fan-favorite runs of material the series the way we wanted to,” from the past 20 years in miniseries on Wein explained in issue #468’s letters high-quality paper. In 1985, Deadman column, referring to his own new #1–7 collected the entire Strange duties as a DC editor and both Adventures #205–216 run along with García-López’s and Aparo’s increasing the stories from The Brave and the Bold commitments to other projects. #79 and 86. And there was more. On Still, Wein and García-López were the heels of the project, DC’s executive able to provide a coda to “Never Say editor Dick Giordano (who’d edited Die” in a Superman/Deadman Strange Adventures #212–216) team-up in DC Comics Presents mused that the original story had josé luiz garcía-lopez #24 (Aug. 1980). Tormented never really had a proper conclusion over Abraham Gold’s death, and charged writer Andrew Helfer Boston demanded that Rama Kushna release him from his vow to balance good and and artist José Luis García-López with creating one.

“He made only one request,” Helfer wrote in evil. The goddess agreed on the condition that he undertake one final mission involving a man with an Deadman [second series] #1 (Mar. 1986), “that the new experimental pacemaker that, incredibly, was linked to miniseries begin where the reprints leave off.” And that Earth’s core. If he died, the world would go with him! was The Brave and the Bold #86, where the Sensei and a In the climax, Deadman entered the man’s body to band of assassins had launched an attack on Nanda literally fight off the Grim Reaper and save his life. “I just Parbat, the Himalayan city where Boston Brand could fought Death, an’ beat him,” Boston would declare in once again take corporeal form and whose barriers erased the evil within the people who lived there. the final panels. “There may be hope for me yet.”

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As Helfer’s story began, Deadman insisted on returning Helfer explained his elimination of the series’ more to the circus long enough to settle his affairs, making a otherworldly elements in Amazing Heroes Preview deal with brother Cleveland to inhabit his body Special #2 (1986): “I think that some of it while he did so. The decision was a disastrous could have sustained interest for a while, one, resulting in Cleve being fatally shot but it tends to get away from the original during a performance in a retaliatory concept. Deadman is a supernatural strike by the Sensei. Courtesy of Vashnu character, not a supernatural hero. and a circus little person named Max He’s an arrogant, blue-collar kind of Loomis, Boston learned that he’d had a guy who finds himself in this superpredecessor named Jonah who could natural world that he hardly believes also inhabit bodies and had helped in to begin with. He’s not a Spectre relocate criminals to the rehabilitating or a Swamp Thing, somber and Nanda Parbat a century before. accepting—Boston Brand was a funFrustrated that Rama Kushna couldn’t loving guy who has now found himself grant his desire for eternal rest, in these extraordinary situations. In the Jonah eventually possessed the Sensei’s miniseries, we’re trying to get him andy helfer body, accumulating occult weaponry back to what he was originally— and mobilizing his Society of Assassins an individual trapped in ghost form, toward the end of destroying the hidden city. with distinct abilities, free of all the mystical trappings By the end of the four-issue miniseries that goal had that had become part of the legend.” been achieved, but not without cost of both sides.

Vashnu was dead and a weakened Rama Kushna destroyed Jonah with her dying act. Before his demise, Jonah had successfully scattered the original inhabitants of Nanda Parbat—their evil restored—out into the world while leaving their innocent offspring behind. Rescuing the latter with Max, Deadman vowed to fulfill his promise to Rama to track down the villains who’d been unleashed on the world as well as protecting their children, whom the goddess regarded as her legacy.

It was a strong story and García-López’s art—lushly inked and toned—represented a career pinnacle to that point. Helfer returned a year later with artist Kevin Maguire in Secret Origins #15 to pen a prequel to Strange Adventures #205 that focused on Vashnu and Max with the revelation that Rama had deliberately orchestrated Boston’s death because he was uniquely suited to be her champion.

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Deadman Dies Again (below) A DC Comics house ad touting the Andrew Helfer/José Luis García-López Deadman miniseries. (left) John Byrne, inked by GarcíaLópez, provided the cover to Deadman #4 (June 1986).

TM & © DC Comics.

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two-issue Deadman: Love After Death in 1989. For every fan that loved the new look, Illustrator Kelley Jones reimagined there seemed to be another that hated it.

Don Thompson, the influential co-editor of Deadman as a “literal costumed The Comics Buyer’s Guide, took exception to skeleton,” as seen in (opposite) the the skeletal remodel in a review in CBG #829 (October 6, 1989), characterizing it as the sole promo poster (signed by the artist) blemish in a comic book that he graded as an to the 1989 two-issue miniseries, “A.” Detractors aside, the new Deadman design became the hero’s official DC model Deadman: Love After Death, and for a decade, even being adopted by Alex (right) in this pencil pinup. Both Ross in 1996’s Kingdom Come.

The Adams-style Deadman had a last images courtesy of Kelvin Mao. hurrah in 1989’s Christmas with the TM & © DC Comics.

Super-Heroes #2 via artist Dick Giordano. A thoughtful script by Alan Brennert touched on the loneliness and isolation that Boston Brand felt, ANOTHER CHANGE IN DIRECTION particularly during the holidays, and Despite the writer’s best efforts to establish a new delved into the moral implications of borrowing direction and motivation for Deadman, it was not to be. other people’s lives. After inhabiting a man’s Indeed, two pages into the Deadman series that began body for several hours to physically experience in 1988’s Action Comics Weekly #601, Boston Brand had Christmas festivities, Deadman was wracked with this to say: “There is so much evil in the world today, guilt over having stolen a portion of the stranger’s why should I waste my time tracking down those life. The guidance of a wandering spirit named refugees? Their evil seems mild compared to what Kara helped the hero put things in perspective, we’re used to today.” and knowing readers were aware that she was Instead, writer Mike Baron (accompanied by artists really Supergirl, the heroine who’d been killed Dan Jurgens and Tony DeZuniga) took Boston Brand on a four years earlier in Crisis on Infinite Earths. manic—at times, hilarious—ride that involved everything Baron and Jones’ Love After Death premiered from ghostly Aztec gods to a CIA guns-for-drugs operation a month later, its story revolving around Boston to an excursion through Hell. The most memorable sequence Brand finding love with a ghost named Ann Colby only came in Action #609 and 610, when Deadman and an entity to lose her when her spirit moved on. Baron, Jones, and claiming to be Satan inhabited first the bodies of President Reagan colorist Les Dorscheid reunited for 1992’s Deadman: and Russian Premier Gorbachev and then their wives. Broken into Exorcism, where the grieving hero went off the deep end eight-page installments, the story ran from #601–612.

Baron’s follow-up story (Action #618–621, 623–626) was bizarre until a last-minute cure by Rama Kushna.

And, yes, Rama Kushna was supposed to be dead. But the in its own right, delving into voodoo and zombies. The serial’s real significance, though, was in the arrival of penciler Kelley Jones. developments of Helfer’s miniseries had largely been ignored, something that was particularly evident in The L.A.W., a 1999 miniseries wherein The young artist had first come to prominence on features like Nanda Parbat was still standing. In his capacity as an editor, Marvel’s Micronauts, but his growing confidence was reflected Helfer was able to turn back time in 2001 and 2002, in the emergence of an exaggerated horror style. presiding over a relaunch of Boston Brand in a guestAs a last-minute replacement for another artist, star-laden weekly five-issue miniseries (Deadman: Jones came into the assignment with the awareness that Dead Again) and the first ongoing Deadman comic his style wasn’t particularly to the taste of editor book, both written by Steve Vance. Picking up the Barbara Randall [now Kesel]. Frustrated that he continuity of the 1986 miniseries, the title had wasn’t doing any comic-book work that brought some very nice moments, particularly a return visit him personal satisfaction, the illustrator recalled in

by José Luis García-López in #5 and 6. Nonetheless, a 2008 podcast interview at sidebarnation.com that the series was canceled with #9. he would make the serial his “resignation letter.”

Afterwards, Rama Kushna, Vashnu, and particularly From Infantino on, Deadman had possessed a Nanda Parbat—featured prominently in 2007’s muscular acrobat’s frame but it was replaced here 52 miniseries, among others—all came back. by a literal costumed skeleton. “How do compete with And Deadman—especially Deadman—was too Neal Adams?” Jones asked in the aforementioned Kelley Jones popular to remain in limbo for long, even enduring podcast. “You don’t.” Rejecting his attempt at a year when a completely reconceived version of the evoking Adams’ style, the artist rethought the character. “Not only is he dead but he can’t feel, he can’t interact, character named Brandon Cayce appeared in a Vertigo series written he’s not involved, he’s isolated. So he just became this drained thing. by Bruce Jones. Rebirth, whether the figurative And that just really worked. And then that started indicating his body efforts of each creator to tackle the character language. I would have him react differently because he’s not subject or literal as in the events chronicled in 2010–2011’s Brightest Day, is hardwired into to the forces of gravity or anything.

“I turned in the first one-and-a-half [stories],” Jones recalled, the fabric of Boston Brand. The creations of “and waited to get fired.” In fact, Randall was delighted, impressed Arnold Drake and Neal Adams are simply too with his imagination and unique perspective even if the style didn’t fertile to stay away. quite fit her image of a superhero. When artist John Totleben excused JOHN WELLS, the so-called Mark Waid of Earth-Two, is a himself from an upcoming Deadman miniseries, both Randall and comics historian specializing in DC Comics. He’s written Mike Baron urged editor Richard Bruning to use Jones in his place. for a variety of publications over the past quarterThe impact of Kelley Jones’ Deadman was blunted to a degree century ranging from the Comics Buyer’s Guide to

by Tony DeZuniga’s inking in the Action arc, but there was no Alter Ego. John recently co-authored the Essential missing his redesign when he provided full art for his and Baron’s Wonder Woman Encyclopedia with Phil Jimenez.

Skin and Bones

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One of the most controversial storylines in recent years has been Spider-Man’s “One More Day.” Reeling from the consequences of exposing his true identity to the world during the Civil War storyline, Peter Parker had to go on the run with his family. While hiding out, his beloved Aunt May was shot by a bullet that was meant for Spider-Man. I won’t bore you with too many more details about this story, except to say that Aunt May would have surely died had Peter and his wife, Mary Jane, not literally struck a deal with the Devil (or Marvel’s supervillain counterpart, Mephisto) to save Aunt May’s life.

Part of the uproar over this storyline was over Marvel’s attempt to undo twenty years of continuity and wipe out the marriage of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson-Parker. But it also got fans wondering about the choice that Peter made in sacrificing his own happiness to save the life of his aged aunt, a woman who had already lived a full life and who surely would have never wanted her nephew to give up anything as precious as his marriage for her sake. The storyline had some fans wondering if perhaps it wasn’t time for Aunt May to finally go into that long goodnight, once and for all.

On the other hand, it had other fans realizing just what a vital role the character played in the Spider-Man mythos.

When you get down to the heart of the matter, Aunt May is one of those characters that is simply divisive.

One thing is for certain—had Aunt May died at the end of this story arc, there is no rule that says she couldn’t come back. It isn’t like Aunt May hasn’t managed to elude the cold, icy grasp of the Grim Reaper before. Indeed, I would wager that she has managed to escape certain death almost as many times as her web-slinging nephew!

Aunt May’s shaky health has always been a matter of concern for Peter. Her first serious brush with death came all the way back in The Amazing Spider-Man #9 (Feb. 1964), and the only thing that saved her life at that time was a blood transfusion from her nephew.

While the initial results were positive, the transfusion of Peter’s radioactive spider-blood proved near-disastrous, as was recounted in Amazing Spider-Man #31–33 (Dec. 1965–Feb. 1966), and once again, May Parker found herself at death’s door. In the end, Aunt May pulled through once again, never caring for herself, but always worrying about her nephew.

Poor Aunt May…!

Detail from the cover to The Amazing Spider-Man #178 (Mar. 1978), one of many depictions of Peter Parker’s mother-figure on death’s bed. Art by Ross Andru and Joe Sinnott. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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by

Dan Johnson

Mayday!! (left) Aunt May’s first flirtation with the Grim Reaper happened way back in Amazing Spider-Man #9 (Feb. 1964).

Story by Stan Lee, art by Steve Ditko. (below) For a brief moment, Aunt May was targeted for death for the landmark Amazing Spider-Man #121 (June 1973).

Cover by John Romita, Sr. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

GWEN STACY DRAWS THE SHORT STRAW The first times that May Parker’s life were at risk were nail-biters to be sure, but fans knew that Aunt May would be around for some time to come. After all, there was a time when killing off a major character in a comic book—especially a successful one like The Amazing Spider-Man—was unheard of. But then came one of the greatest game-changers in comics, Amazing Spider-Man #121–122 (June–July 1973), which marked the deaths of Gwen Stacy and the Green Goblin. As it turns out, when Gerry Conway, Gil Kane, and John Romita, Sr. wanted to shake up things a bit in Spidey’s world, the initial thought was to kill off Aunt May instead of Gwen Stacy. But that was an idea didn’t last too long.

“The conversation I had with John [Romita] about killing off Aunt May lasted maybe ten seconds,” says Gerry Conway, former writer on The Amazing Spider-Man. “[It went] along the lines of, John: ‘We could always kill off Aunt May.’ Gerry: ‘Let’s kill Gwen Stacy instead.’” When asked about the decision that might have radically altered Spider-Man’s entire history as we know it, John Romita remembers being on board with sparing Aunt May. “The thought [of killing her off] was Stan’s or Roy’s,” recalls Romita. “I told Gerry that if we want to shake up the readers, we’d need to have Mary Jane or Gwen killed. Since Gwen was Peter Parker’s girl at the time, it would be more shocking.”

Conway adds, “To my mind, Aunt May was integral to the dynamic that made Spider-Man a successful superhero character. She was his connection to reality, the living reminder that ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ While her character certainly became a cliché over the years, Aunt May fulfilled an important and fundamental role in the Spider-Man mythos, a role that’s not easy to replace. Clichés become clichés for a reason: they represent truths that have become so familiar they no longer need to be stated, and when they are stated, the fact of their familiarity undercuts the value of the truth they represent. People recognize the cliché and ignore the truth behind it. Because Aunt May’s character became a cliché, readers and creators forgot the truth she represented: Spider-Man’s human connections, his agonizing link to the people in his life, and his need to take responsibility for their happiness, are what separates him from other superheroes. Rather than

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Your Friendly Neighborhood Nova Marv Wolfman, John Buscema, and Joe Sinnott’s alternate version of Nova’s life in What If? #15 put Peter Parker behind the young hero’s metal helmet. (right) Another Aunt May “death,” in Amazing Spider-Man #196; cover by Keith Pollard and Al Milgrom. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

killing her off, creators should have found a way to return her character to relevance, and use her to re-enrich the mythos. But as someone who took the easy way out myself, by killing off Gwen Stacy (instead of finding a way to make her relevant to the series, something I honestly doubt anyone could do), maybe I shouldn’t talk.”

Romita voices an opinion that is similar to Conway’s: “Lots of fans, as well as writers and artists at Marvel, used to ask, ‘Why is Aunt May still there?’ I always felt she was the main reason for Peter’s guilt and fears.”

So, what might have happened had May Parker not been there to serve as an influence on Peter Parker, as Conway and Romita suggest? What If? #15 (July 1979) featured four different stories that imagined what would happen if someone other than Richard Ryder had gained the powers of Nova. The third story in this issue recounted a reality where the spider-bite that gave Peter Parker his superpowers ended up putting him in the hospital after it exposed him to a near-lethal dose of radiation. While Peter was in the hospital, struggling to hang onto life, Aunt May died of a heart attack. She loved her nephew so much, the thought of losing him literally killed her. In this story,

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before gaining the Nova powers, the loss of his aunt, coupled with him being confided to a wheelchair for the rest of this life, turned Peter into a solemn recluse who wants nothing more to do with the world.

Although a What If? tale, this story is a good indicator of the influence May has always had on Peter’s life and how much he needed her to stay positive—and in many ways, gave him something to live for.

DEATH BECOMES HER Just a couple of months after that issue of What If? hit the newsstands, its writer, Marv Wolfman, would begin to explore the impact May’s death would have on Peter for real. In Amazing Spider-Man #196 (Sept. 1979), Peter gets word that Aunt May has suddenly died. As it was, though, her death was a ruse devised by Mysterio and the burglar that killed Uncle Ben, and this plot was intended to lead up the book’s historic 200th issue. Peter was onto the scam by the end of this issue, once he recognized one of Mysterio’s aliases. “There was never any thought to actually kill off May,” says Marv Wolfman.

“She was needed as grounding for Peter. But remember, back then Peter was pretty young, certainly emotionally, and not married to a supermodel, in or out of continuity.

He was a nerd. [Aunt] May gave him reality.”

Al Milgrom filled in for regular Amazing Spider-Man artist Keith Pollard for one issue of during Wolfman’s run, and as it was, his issue was the one that dealt with May’s “death.” Although he doesn’t recall much about that storyline, Milgrom does agree with Wolfman about how essential May Parker was to the comic book. “May was important to Peter Parker,” says Milgrom. “He had her to worry about while also worrying about making the house payment after he got Uncle Ben killed. [Publishers] always want to do something big, and killing off a character is huge, but then you run the risk of losing a character that is important to the mythos.

One of the best stories exemplifying what Milgrom is talking about, one that wonderfully illustrates the influence May Parker had over her nephew, was What If? #46 (Aug. 1984). In this imaginary story, it was Aunt May who discovered the burglar in the Parker home that fateful night Peter Parker’s life was changed forever. In this story, Peter still became a crimefighter, and Uncle Ben even learned of his duel identity and helped his nephew come to grips with the tragedy that occurred because he did not take action. But Uncle Ben was also responsible for Peter revealing his identity to J. Jonah Jameson and for Spider-Man forming an alliance with the newspaperman that almost ended up costing everyone dearly.

So identified with Spider-Man was Aunt May that no serious thought of killing her off occurred until the early 1990s, when Marvel Comics wanted to shake the status quo up and introduce a brand-new Spider-Man. Marvel wanted readers to know that it meant business about making changes in the Spider-Man books, thus it was decided that one of the big shockers that would herald Peter Parker passing the mantle to another Web-Slinger would be the death of Aunt May. This time it wasn’t going to be a fake-out or imaginary tale. “I think the idea started with me,” admits writer J. M. DeMatteis. “We were looking for ways to make it clear to the readers that things were changing, for real, in the Spider-books and I thought Aunt May’s death, after all those years of kinda/ sorta/but not really dying, would send a strong message.

Howard Mackie agreed with me and we began batting around very general ideas about the death, and then brought it to the team at one of our regular Spider-writer meetings. I remember pitching the idea, acting it out, while Mackie made the beeping, then flat-lining, sounds of Aunt May’s electrocardiogram machine in the background. Spider-editor Danny Fingeroth and the other writers thought it was a strong, worthy idea and gave me the go-ahead to write the story.”

THE SPIDER-CLONE SAGA

Uncle Ben Lives!

May Parker’s death was slated for Amazing Spider-Man #400 (Apr. 1995), after May briefly recovered from a coma brought on by another heart attack. This storyline was meant to be a milestone of the Spider-Clone Saga.

Regardless of how readers feel about the overall story arc, there is no denying that DeMatteis wrote a powerful story that, had it stood as canon, would have gone down in comics history as one of the best swansongs a character had ever received. The most powerful part of the story that DeMatteis laid out comes when Aunt May reveals to Peter that she has always known he was Spider-Man, and how proud she is of the man he has become. “As I recall, that idea just appeared in the writing of the plot,” says DeMatteis. ”It’s one of those moments that come, not from the writer but from the character herself. I set the scene of Peter and May on top of the Empire State Building, then May started talking and there it was. I was as surprised as anyone else.

But it instantly felt right. Those are really the best

Dead Heroes Issue

(above) What If? #46 (Aug. 1984) proposed a reality where May, not Ben, Parker died.

Cover by Ron Frenz. (left) A few months earlier, Aunt May and Franklin Richards joined forces in the oddball Marvel Team-Up #137 (Jan. 1984). Cover by Greg LaRocque. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

•

BACK ISSUE • 19

Moment of Truth May uncovers her nephew’s secret in Amazing Spider-Man vol.

2 #37 (Jan. 2001), by J. Michael Straczynski, John Romita, Jr., and Scott Hanna. (right) Mark Bagley and Larry Mahlstadt’s cover to Amazing Spider-Man #400 (Apr. 1995) signaled another Aunt May passing.

moments in writing: when the characters take on lives of their own, start making their own decisions, revealing things you never expected, and you’re completely surprised by your own story.”

Perhaps more surprising was how much DeMatteis grew to admire the character after he had helped make the decision that would end her comic-book existence.

“Truth is, I never thought all that much about Aunt May before I wrote the character,” confides DeMatteis.

“I probably leaned toward the ‘annoying old lady’ camp. But once I started writing the character, I fell in love with her—platonically, of course! I didn’t see her weakness—I saw her strength, her fierce will, her deep love. All of those things are essential to Peter’s character as well. If she were just the overprotective old lady, Peter would have grown up to be a wimpy whiner.

But he learned from May’s strength and will, her ability to survive tragedy and find the good in life. She’s an integral part of who Peter Parker is.”

Al Milgrom says, “It’s an unusual relationship in the superhero world. [Aunt May] is a mother figure for

© 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

20 • BACK ISSUE • Dead Heroes Issue

Spider-Man. [Their relationship] is unique and they are close. She humanized Peter Parker.” Taking Milgrom’s point into consideration, it is understandable that once Marvel Comics decided, at the conclusion of the Spider-Clone Saga, that Peter Parker was the one, true Spider-Man, the company would find a way to bring Aunt May back to life. And indeed, that is just what happened in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #97 (Nov. 1998), when it was revealed that the woman who died at the end of Amazing Spider-Man #400 was in reality a genetically enhanced actress that Norman Osborn had used to replace the real Aunt May, all in a continuing plot to torture and torment Peter.

“Well, given the nature of the genre, I expected that somewhere down the line, Aunt May would be back,” says DeMatteis about the decision to resurrect the character. “But I figured it would take five or ten years, at least. Especially since that was an incredibly pivotal, and powerful, story. I didn’t expect the reversal so soon after Amazing Spider-Man #400, or in such an odd way.

I never really understood the whole ‘actress disguised as Aunt May’ thing at all. But, hey, it’s just comics, folks!

In the end, my story still stands.

It’s out there for anyone to read, and, because of the resurrection, other writers have had the chance to work with, and develop, May’s character.”

DAN JOHNSON is one of the gag writers for the Dennis the Menace comic strip and the scripter of Antarctic Press’ Herc and Thor.

His most recent works include graphic novel adaptations of Robinson Crusoe and Oliver Twist for Campfire Comics.

by

Shaun Clancy

conducted February 23, 2010

Like most BACK ISSUE readers, my nostalgia for comic books centers on what comics I first read as a child.

One of those very first issues was Captain Marvel #25 (Mar. 1973), and since then, I’ve been a Jim Starlin fan.

Even at the age of nine, I could tell differences in the art styles of comics and Jim Starlin’s artwork stood out among the rest.

In 1976, comics could mostly be bought at local convenience stores, and in my case, that was a local shop called Store 24 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Since Mr. Starlin was not working on Captain Marvel in 1976, I was forced to collect back issues from used bookstores, of which there was only one in town. Riding my bike five miles to buy back issues at the age of nine left me open to being harassed and even having my bike stolen on several occasions. Trying to find a back issue with Jim Starlin art was worth the risk, and I managed to find all the issues he did in the Captain Marvel series.

It wasn’t until 1995 in Seattle, Washington that I finally was able to meet the man who inspired me as a child.

Cruel and the Gang

To me, meeting Jim Starlin in person was like meeting the president of the United States… and I am sure I had come across as one of those crazy, awkward fans that everyone hates to be behind in the autograph lines. Stumbling with speech, I introduced myself to Mr. Starlin, and he quickly brought me back to reality by taking extra time in retelling the history behind the making of a Captain Marvel story.

Since that day, I have stayed in touch with Mr. Starlin on and off for 15 years with fan letters and requests for autographs and commissions. Every time I contacted Mr. Starlin, I would always receive a response. This cannot be said for a large portion of other comics talent I had also tried to remain in contact with. Mr. Starlin knows what it is like to be a fan and treats his fans the same way he would want to be treated himself, and this shows in this interview. I am very proud to have met and talked with Mr. Starlin, and every time I read a Jim Starlin comic or book, I feel like that nine-year-old child back in Lawrence.

– Shaun Clancy Dead Heroes Issue

Jim Starlin’s most famous villain, Thanos, is confronted by the artist’s signature Marvel heroes in this commissioned pencil illustration contributed by interviewer Shaun Clancy. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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BACK ISSUE • 21

ARTISTIC TECHNIQUES

Beginnings: (comics) The Eagle (fanzine) #1 (1971) / My Love Story #16 (1972): pencils on “Wings on My Heart”

Milestones: Captain Marvel / Warlock / creator of Thanos / co-creator of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung-Fu / The Death of Captain Marvel graphic novel / Darklon the Mystic / DC Comics Presents / Dreadstar / Batman (most notably writing the death of Jason Todd Robin) / Batman: The Cult / The Weird / Cosmic Odyssey / Gilgamesh and Gilgamesh II / Infinity Gauntlet trilogy / Breed / Cosmic Guard / Death of the New Gods / Strange Adventures

Work in Progress: The Art of Jim Starlin: A Life in Words and Pictures (IDW, 2010)

Cyberspace: Find Jim Starlin on Facebook

jim starlin

SHAUN CLANCY: Where and when were you born?

JIM STARLIN: Detroit, October 9, 1949.

CLANCY: Have you ever done serious paintings, or have they always been sci-fi stuff?

STARLIN: Pretty much all sci-fi, because most of the time when I sit down to do art it’s to get paid. [laughter] I’m a mercenary, what can I tell you?

CLANCY: Well, I’ve seen some in person and I’ve noticed that some of your paintings are on a different stock of paper. For painting purposes, do you use a different style of pastel board?

STARLIN: I’ve worked on a lot of different things over the years—sometimes it was on Masonite that was gessoed over and painted on, sometimes on illustration board, and sometimes on canvas board, depending on the piece. If I wanted a lot of tooth in the texture, I would go for a canvas board. If I wanted to keep it slicker, that’s when I’d prep up a piece of Masonite.

CLANCY: Do you do airbrushing?

STARLIN: No. I’ve never been able to master that.

I always make a mess with that.

CLANCY: I ask because I was wondering if you had done any of that on your boat.

STARLIN: No, no. The boat doesn’t even have a name on it, and we’ve had it for three years. All I’ve had to do is go down and get a decal or sticker to put on a name, but it hasn’t happened yet.

CLANCY: I assume you’ve worked in oils, but have you worked in charcoal?

STARLIN: Let’s see… I think I did a little charcoal work on Darklon the Mystic. There was a lot of experimentation on that.

CLANCY: That was a black-and-white feature, so you did charcoal to try and take advantage of the blackand-white magazine format?

STARLIN: Yes. There was a lot of things in that.

There was stuff like oil-painting marbly background.

Most of it was done with a felt-point marker.

CLANCY: Didn’t Darklon get colored in a reprint?

STARLIN: Later on, and Joe Chiodo colorized it.

CLANCY: He’s a fantastic artist.

STARLIN: Yes. I was rather surprised that he took on the job. Joe and I knew each other then and I think he was friends with the guys at Pacific Comics, and they asked him to do it.

CLANCY: Do you still own the rights to Darklon?

STARLIN: I would believe so. I let them print it gratis and Warren never had any real work-for-hire contract.

[Editor’s note: Starlin’s Darklon the Mystic first appeared in Warren Publishing’s Eerie.]

CLANCY: There wasn’t anything [stipulating a workfor-hire agreement] on the backsides of the checks?

STARLIN: No, and if there were, I probably crossed it out.

CLANCY: Has anyone tried that with you?

STARLIN: To see if they could do it? You know, from what I understand the only people I was doing it with was actually just Marvel Comics, and Marvel supposedly lost all its paperwork on everything from the mid-1980s back.

Lovers and a Lurker A Starlin fantasy painting from 1977, courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). © Jim Starlin.

22 • BACK ISSUE • Dead Heroes Issue

RALPH BAKSHI PRODUCTIONS CLANCY: Let’s go back in time for a moment. I have a book called The Who’s Who of American Comic Books by Jerry Bails. It came out in the 1970s and I still use it for reference material for all my interviewing.

It usually lists the credentials of artists, and some of the stuff associated with you I would like to go over, because I didn’t know some of this until today. I haven’t looked up your credentials in this book before today, because I thought I knew you so well that I didn’t need to. I found it accrediting you with some animation work at Ralph Bakshi Productions on The Lord of the Rings?

STARLIN: Didn’t work much on The Lord of the Rings… rather, I worked more on Wizards, [Bakshi’s] movie before Lord of the Rings.

CLANCY: Isn’t Bakshi the same guy who did Fritz the Cat? STARLIN: Yes. He did this thing he was gonna call “War Wizards,” and they thought better of it and said, “You probably don’t want the word ‘War’ in the title.”

So they named it just “Wizards” and the movie bombed, the same year Star Wars came out.

CLANCY: I remember seeing a documentary on that movie, and Ralph Bakshi said that when he went in to see the studio to ask for more money to finish Wizards, they refused him because they were giving George Lucas money to finish Star Wars. I believe he also attributes Star Wars for the less-than-enthusiastic showing of his movie, although it has become a cult classic and I have seen it.

STARLIN: It was kind of a mess, working on it. It was clear that he was not gonna have money for the ending, and if you watch the movie it ends abruptly. There’re certain scenes that end abruptly. There’s one scene in particular with a tank—there’s some type of characters fighting a tank—and the next thing you know is, the tank blows up off-screen. He didn’t have money to animate it.

CLANCY: Didn’t he just colorize over vintage film?

It looked to me that it was World War II footage just colored over.

STARLIN: Actually, I worked on some of this—a lot of it was director Sergej M.0 Eisenstein’s footage from the 1925 film Battleship Potemkin and other Russian classics that didn’t have a copyright in America at the time. So what he did was Xerox up a lot of the footage and we would go and draw in horns on certain characters, and it would get sent over to Korea for them to finish animating it. He was trying to get by on a shoestring budget. [Editor’s note: The technique of animating over live-action footage is called rotoscoping.]

CLANCY: I believe that was the case toward the end of the film. Was he half done when you were on board?

STARLIN: I think he was more than half done. I came in more to work on The Lord of the Rings. By the time we got done with Wizards and that, I realized that animation was not where I wanted to be.

CLANCY: Was it because of [while doing] the painstaking, repetitious, everyday panel-to-panel-type of stuff that you’d catch yourself daydreaming?

STARLIN: No, I didn’t do any actual animating. I was doing concept drawings and some of the rotoscope touching-up. They had animators there that would take whatever I did and then put it on a little bit further. I didn’t do too much. They were really coming to the end. I think I worked there about a month.

CLANCY: Was there anyone from comics that you knew also working there?

STARLIN: Yes. Mike Ploog was also working there.

Mike actually did a lot of illustrations for the Lord of the Rings movie. He stayed with them.

CLANCY: That I could see. I can see that art style in the production. Did he also do The Hobbit?

STARLIN: No… Frazetta was working with them on that, I think.

CLANCY: One of my favorite movies is John Carpenter’s The Thing, and Mike Ploog did lots of storyboarding for that movie, so I knew he did that type of thing outside of comics.

STARLIN: From what I hear, he’s still doing that type of thing.

Dead Heroes Issue

May the Force Be Against You Ralph Bakshi’s full-length sci-fi toon Wizards took a box-office beating in 1977—the same year George Lucas’ Star Wars premiered.

Wizards was being wrapped during Jim Starlin’s brief stint in animation, at Bakshi’s studio. © 1977 Bakshi Studios and 20th Century Fox.

•

BACK ISSUE • 23

CLANCY: I had him do a couple of recreations for me, too. He lives over in England now, but he’s been to Seattle a few times. His daughter lives out here and he comes and visits her every Thanksgiving, so we see him occasionally. I know you’ve been to Seattle, because I met you here six or seven years ago.

STARLIN: Oh, I think it’s much longer than that. It’s probably more like 14 or 15 years, because I came there around the time I first started seeing my wife. I remember going out there because Ron Marz was also going.

CLANCY: Back in 1993, I sent you and John Byrne some comics to get autographed in care of Marvel Comics with return self-addressed envelopes— STARLIN: —and you never got them back?

CLANCY: Actually, you did sign them and they sent them back, but I never did get the John Byrne ones back. You actually wrote a little note in there saying, “If you keep this up you’re gonna lose your comics!” [laughs] STARLIN: Most of the time they would never have made it to me.

It was a miracle that those got to me.

CLANCY: Was Bakshi Studio your first job in animation?

STARLIN: Yes, and my only venture into animation.

EARLY COMICS WORK CLANCY: I know you also worked on fanzines in the 1960s.

STARLIN: The Texas Trio … with Howard Keltner.

CLANCY: Right—the black-and-white stuff. Was this your first published art?

STARLIN: Yes, it was, and I was very surprised that they didn’t charge me for printing it. [laughter] CLANCY: Do you still see some of that at conventions?

STARLIN: Occasionally someone will bring an Eagle or a Doctor Weird.

Star Studded, not as often, since they didn’t have as big a print run, if I remember right.

CLANCY: What was your official schooling … or was there any?

STARLIN: Very little. Once I got out of the service I did a semester and took a couple of art classes at a community college in Detroit. I sold two two-page jobs to [DC Comics editor] Joe Orlando for his mystery books, and then headed off to New York.

I got there just at the time they were hiring anybody that crossed the state lines that could hold a pencil, as they were expanding their comic lines so vastly.

CLANCY: Did you choose commercial art because of the G.I. Bill, or was it something you always wanted to do?

STARLIN: I wanted to do comics since I was a kid.

CLANCY: So you collected comics as a kid?

STARLIN: Yeah… but my friend Al Milgrom was more of the collector. I just wanted to draw. I kept a pile that had really nice artwork I liked. He ended up buying his house with a lot of the comics I gave him. [laughter] CLANCY: Sounds like he was a definite fanatic about comics. Was there anybody else you knew back then that you would also swap comics with that is famous, or was in comics?

STARLIN: No. It was pretty much Milgrom and I. There were a couple other kids [who read comics], but they went off into other things.

CLANCY: I haven’t interviewed Milgrom yet, but hope to soon. I know he’s still working on my commissions, and he finished a Spider-Man he was doing for me and even watercolored it. Did you know he could watercolor?

STARLIN: Yes. He actually had art training. He went to Wayne State University. He got a degree in art.

CLANCY: Wow. I had just never seen him do any colorization before.

He did tell me it took him forever to do. He had to relearn everything he hadn’t used in awhile.

STARLIN: I’m sure he hadn’t done it in 40 years.

CLANCY: So you got out of school, and then you went to Marvel Comics first and submitted work. When they hired you, were you a background artist or did they get you right into penciling?

STARLIN: They stuck me as the art director right away because they didn’t have one. Basically, the job was doing up sketches with Stan Lee to send off to other artists to do the finished covers. Occasionally they needed a new panel, pencils, take-downs, and paste-ons—it was very primitive back then.

CLANCY: Did you work in the Bullpen?

STARLIN: I worked in the Bullpen with Steve Gerber, who was in the cubicle next to me, suffering from narcolepsy. Every so often he would pass out onto the floor and I would go over and wake him up.

CLANCY: Really? I never heard that before. This was the guy who created Howard the Duck, right? [Editor’s note: See BACK ISSUE #31, our Steve Gerber tribute issue.]

STARLIN: Yes. He was going through a divorce at the time, and I guess there were all sorts of things going on and that was one of the side effects. He would just not sleep at night and get into the office— and he was out! [laughs] CLANCY: Did you know him before you worked there?

STARLIN: No—these were all new people in my life.

CLANCY: Was Milgrom there yet?

STARLIN: No. Allen came much later. I was sharing a place out in Staten Island with Mike Friedrich, Bill DuBay, and Steve Skeates.

I eventually called Milgrom up and told him that he needed to come out here because they were hiring everybody. “Even you can get work, Allen!” [laughs] CLANCY: If you were the art director at the time, didn’t you have a lot of pull with hiring?

STARLIN: No, it wasn’t like that. The art-directing job wasn’t even

Fly Like the Eagle Among Starlin’s pre–pro work in the early 1970s was Eagle, a fanzine published by the Texas Trio. © 1971 the Texas Trio/Howard Keltner.

paying. I was getting paid for piecemeal work. As soon as I quit, they hired Frank Giacoia for a short time, and then John Romita took over the job.

CLANCY: Was Roy Thomas there, too?

STARLIN: He was the editor-in-chief. The place was on Madison Avenue by 56th, with a huge room. Stan and Roy had separate offices.

CLANCY: Were they the only ones with offices?

STARLIN: Oh, yes.

CLANCY: Did they have secretaries?

STARLIN: Stan had a secretary, and now that you mention it, I’m not exactly sure where she sat. [laughter] I can’t remember.

CLANCY: Was it Flo Steinberg?

STARLIN: No. It was a woman named Holly something [Holly Resnicoff, who later married Mike Ploog]. Flo was gone by then.

CLANCY: I had heard that Flo was the most memorable one in that position.

Was everyone in the Bullpen getting along? Was this the type of bullpen that was trying to help each other, or was it very stressful?

STARLIN: It was pretty laid back. Roy ran a pretty loose ship. The only time it got stressful was if something came in late and they had to do a real rush job getting it out—which was pretty often.

CLANCY: I worked with Roy on Alter Ego. He was my editor and he was definitely the type to let you submit an article and then tell you if it needed correcting. That’s the approach he has now. Was he that way back then?

STARLIN: They were expanding the line from about eight books to 20-something and he was the only one doing the editing. They brought in Steve Gerber to proofread but Roy was pretty much running the show.

A lot of times when I started doing Captain Marvel, I just came in and gave him basically two- or threesentence plots and he’d say, “Go ahead with it. I don’t have time to read it but if you tell me about it, that would be great.”

CLANCY: If I remember right, that wasn’t your first published Marvel work. It was a horror comic, right?

STARLIN: No. Actually, my first work that actually got published was a love story inked by Jack Abel and written by Gary Friedrich. [Editor’s note: We’re not certain, but this might have been “Wings on My Heart,” from Marvel’s My Love Story #16 (Apr. 1972).

Can any of our readers confirm this?]

CLANCY: I forgot about that one. Did it have reprints in the comic, too?

STARLIN: I don’t recall.

CLANCY: Do you remember accepting that assignment, or was it something you didn’t really want to do?

Or maybe you jumped at the chance?

STARLIN: I wanted to draw anything at that point, I wasn’t crazy about doing that kind of thing because my women weren’t all that strong and it involved cars.

It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do. The characters were Tom the truck driver, Dick the dude, and Wendy the waitress.

CLANCY: Stereotypes.

STARLIN: Alliterate stereotypes.

CLANCY: Do you use a lot of reference material or do you draw straight from the mind?

STARLIN: You know, I must’ve used reference material on the cars, but that was about it. Most of the time I just sort of sketch it out and work out the figures in the background. I’m very good at perspective so I very seldom use reference for that.

INFLUENCES

Of Course, This Means War!

CLANCY: Who were some of your artistic influences?

From what I see, the only people that I could come up with while looking at your work would be Neal Adams, but your style is quite unique. I can’t imagine whose work you would emulate at all…

STARLIN: Jack Kirby, for sure. Kirby and Steve Ditko— they were my biggest influences by a long shot.

I met Steve Ditko one time when I was about 16.

I came to New York for the [1964–1965] World’s Fair and made some phone calls, trying to get ahold of him and Kirby, Joe Kubert, and Carmine Infantino, as those were the guys whose work I really liked at the time.

CLANCY: You lived in Detroit then?

STARLIN: I lived in Detroit and hitchhiked out to the World’s Fair. I actually got a little work there at the Fair.

I stayed for a couple of weeks and then tried to hound some cartoonists. Ditko was the only one that would see me.

CLANCY: At 16, you hitchhiked?

Dead Heroes Issue

An unpublished page from an early Jim Starlin/Al Milgrom collaboration, The Last Warrior, courtesy of Anthony Snyder (www.anthonysnyder.com). © Jim Starlin.

•

BACK ISSUE • 25

Insanity (left) A plate and (right) the cover to Starlin’s Insanity portfolio, published

by Middle Earth in 1974. Courtesy of Heritage. © Jim Starlin.

STARLIN: Yeah… it’s a Detroit thing.

CLANCY: Well, it was a different time back then, for sure. Was Al with you?

STARLIN: Oh, no. He had a different kind of life.

CLANCY: He had the upper-class type?

STARLIN: He lived in a town next to me, which was called Huntington Woods, and I lived in Berkeley.

Berkeley was where all the auto-factory workers lived, and Huntington Woods was where the doctors lived.

CLANCY: When you were at the World’s Fair and you met Steve Ditko, did he brush you off or did he actually acknowledge you?

STARLIN: I called him from down the street from his place because I had been brushed off before, so I said to him that I was just outside his door. So he said, “Okay… since you’re here, come on up.” He was really nice.

He was coming to the end of his [Amazing] Spider-Man run and showed me all these notebooks where he had all these designs on how drapery should fall, which impressed the hell out of me. Steve was limited on where his camera would go when he was doing a drawing.

26 • BACK ISSUE • Dead Heroes Issue

The figures he drew, there was a certain repetitiveness to them because he was always going into these notebooks and saying, “Okay, that’s the way this works.”

At this point, he had given up trying to be a heavy renderer like he was back in the 1950s. His and Kubert’s artwork looked identical back then, and he was getting into this calligraphy kind of line that was just like the Spider-Man-type stuff.

CLANCY: I noticed that Ditko’s work looked a lot like Wally Wood when he was drawing in the 1970s.

I gather you know that Ditko is a recluse now, and that he doesn’t talk publicly about his work. I believe I’ve personally spoken to him only on the phone, maybe twice in the last 15 years for a total of ten minutes, and both times he was very polite in turning down my request for an interview. I even mailed him an invitation back in 2004 to come out here to Seattle and have a four-person dinner with me at my expense, while leaving him to do whatever he wanted for the remaining weekend. He did send me a one-page letter turning me down, which was once again well written and nicely done.

STARLIN: I haven’t talked to him in recent years.

Do you know why he’s that way?

CLANCY: From what I hear, I believe it’s over creator credits on Spider-Man, but I’m not completely sure.

From what I’ve read, he feels the same way [Batman’s uncredited co-creator, writer] Bill Finger did over Batman.

STARLIN: Well, that’s quite a change from where he was at.

In the past he used to say, “I signed it off and that’s that.”

CLANCY: He’s not that way now. Back then, Spider-Man wasn’t a moneymaker like it is now—especially now after Marvel sold to Disney for billions. I have seen Steve get a byline, a co-creator credit in the movies, but I’m not sure if there’s anything financial.

Say, do you go to the San Diego Comic-Con? STARLIN: Occasionally, but it’s gotten too big for me.

I did get invited a couple of years ago and went, but I don’t think I’ll rush out there again anytime soon.

CLANCY: Did you show Steve Ditko or Jack Kirby examples of your work when you were breaking in?

STARLIN: I met Jack after I had been a cartoonist for a

while. Al Milgrom and I went by his house for a visit one afternoon, and we had seen him other times at conventions.

CLANCY: Didn’t he live in California?

STARLIN: Yes, he did, in that beautiful house above the Valley, and [Kirby’s wife] Roz was there, too.

CAPTAIN MARVEL AND WARLOCK CLANCY: Let’s get back to Marvel—how did you land the Captain Marvel art assignment? I believe Don Heck was on it before you, correct?

STARLIN: No … actually, Wayne Boring, the old Superman artist, was on it. I first did a couple of Iron Man issues and Stan Lee fired Gerber and me off of Iron Man since he hated our issues so much. He said, “This is not Iron Man!” We did sort of a comedy one-shot with Rasputin, so we got fired, and I was going to head on over to DC when Roy called up and said, “I got this one book and it’s not really selling well and it might even be canceled before you get your first issue out, but would you do Captain Marvel with us?” Let’s see … Marv Wolfman had been writing it and Wayne Boring had been drawing it, and then suddenly it was [writer] Mike Friedrich and I. I plotted it up and Mike, who had five other books, was fine with that. I took over the writing after about three or four issues. [Editor’s note: Starlin’s first issue of Captain Marvel was #25.]

CLANCY: Did you ask to be the writer or did Mike say, “Can you help me out?”

STARLIN: I asked both Mike and Roy about it and Roy said, “Okay, tell you what … the issue you were working on has three parts in it—take the middle part and write that and if it’s okay, you can take over since Mike has five other books.” Then, of course, nearly all of the books Mike was working on were canceled within a few months. [laughs] CLANCY: Did Mike Friedrich want Captain Marvel back after those cancellations?

STARLIN: No, but actually I did bring Mike back for a later issue to script [#32].

CLANCY: Why would you, with no previous writing experience, even suggest wanting to write Captain Marvel? What did you see happening that made you want to try it?

STARLIN: A lot of the things that I was getting handed [to draw] were pretty awful and I thought I could do better. There was one particular Iron Man story that Mike wrote where he asked me to fill in

some pages on it and there was a sequence where Happy Hogan has an argument with Pepper Potts, and as he’s leaving he kicks this trashcan over, saying, “Look what the woman’s done. She’s turned me into a litterbug!” [laughter] That’s when I said to myself, “You know what? I think I can do better than that.”

CLANCY: Did you bring it up to him?

STARLIN: I’ve mentioned it a few times to him over the years.

CLANCY: And that type of comment made it past the censors back then? [laughter] STARLIN: The Comics Code was kind of sleeping until I took over Warlock.

CLANCY: I bet they had a field day with its religious stuff.

STARLIN: The year I took over Warlock they cited eight violations that entire year, and three of them were mine. [laughter] CLANCY: Do you remember the specifics surrounding the three violations?

STARLIN: If you look at the original Strange Tales issue featuring Warlock [Strange Tales #178, Feb. 1975], you can see the first one.

We had a guy being boiled in oil, and they changed the black plates, but they didn’t change the color plates, so you can still see the guy boiling in oil in color with just a different picture on top.

The second violation was—Marvel had this thing back then that you had to give them a free page [for an ad]. You could turn the work page sideways and do a double-page spread and they’d print it as two pages instead of the one it actually was. To get around that for this particular issue, I photostatted some of the previous pages from the first issue for the recap and on the second, but in the first issue there were a few naked imp demons. If you look in the second issue’s two-page recap, those little, naked imp demons, in the exact same drawings, now have little panties on because of the Code Authority.

CLANCY: Was the third one on Warlock, too?

STARLIN: Yes … it was on Warlock, but I don’t recall what it was.

CLANCY: Did you get chewed out for it, or did they just wave a finger at you?

STARLIN: I was out in California by then, and whoever the editor was at that time [handled the criticism]—and we had a lot of editors on that book. Because Roy Thomas only stayed on it for a couple of issues and then he left as the editor-in-chief, so after him I think we had Len Wein next for a couple of months, then Marv Wolfman,

Emerging Marvel Star(lin) (left) Stan Lee might have hated Iron Man #55 (Feb. 1973), but it helped put Jim Starlin on the map. (right) That “map” gained cosmic proportions when Starlin took over Captain Marvel with issue #25. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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Son of Fu Manchu A wash-tone pinup of Shang-Chi and the cast of the Master of Kung Fu series produced by Starlin, the kung-fu fighter’s first artist, for the black-and-white magazine Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19. Courtesy of Heritage. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

and then finally Gerry Conway for two weeks—which was just long enough for me to quit.

CLANCY: Before we go into that, let’s go back over to Captain Marvel for a second. Was Captain Marvel well received, and did circulation start increasing immediately?

STARLIN: It did quite well right off the bat—much to everyone’s surprise.

CLANCY: Issue #25 of Captain Marvel was one of the first comics I ever bought, and it was completely different that everything else out there. It had that ’70s feel to it.

STARLIN: Captain Marvel had nice, primary [costume] colors, so you can’t go wrong with that, especially on that old printing.

CLANCY: Was including Super-Skrull in issue #25 your idea?

STARLIN: Yes. I pretty well plotted that issue. I think I was ripping off an old Avengers—the TV Avengers, that is. They had one episode where Emma Peel was stuck in this crazy house, and that’s what that whole issue was about, emulating that particular story.

CLANCY: At about what issue did you realize you had a hit? Did Marvel give you circulation numbers at all?

STARLIN: No, but you can tell by just the way that people were reacting to it that it was doing well. Back then they were still putting out those bogus numbers in the backs of comics. They kept asking me to do other things like the Thing team-up in Marvel Feature and Shang-Chi in Master of Kung Fu.

28 • BACK ISSUE • Dead Heroes Issue

MASTER OF KUNG FU CLANCY: Shang-Chi was another favorite of mine. You did the first appearance of Shang-Chi in Special Marvel Edition #15 and 16 (Dec. 1973 and Feb. 1974), and I believe you did this within the first year or so that you were with Marvel. I recall Steve Englehart saying that the most memorable part of those issues was where you had a fight scene in a junkyard on top of a crane, with the viewer looking down from the height of the crane. He was amazed at the art detail in that scene.

Do you recall when you got this assignment?

Did you know martial arts at all?

STARLIN: I had taken Judo at that point and was a big fan of the Kung Fu TV series.

CLANCY: Martial arts were very popular at that time.

Didn’t you also do a similar book at DC called Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter?

STARLIN: Yes, but that was much later. [Editor’s note: Be sure to return next issue for our look at DC’s Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter series.]

CLANCY: From the character stances in the artwork you can tell that there is some martial-arts knowledge there. Did you use kung-fu books as reference?

STARLIN: No, no—I was just making this stuff up as I went along. There were books out at the time, but I was pretty much just faking it. [laughter] CLANCY: Were you a Bruce Lee fan?

STARLIN: A little bit. Alan Weiss would sometimes come over and take me to the 42nd Street Theatre and we would go see some of those types of movies. I lived over on 44th Street, just two blocks from all the movie theaters—it’s also called “Hooker Row.” Occasionally I’d just go over to a movie and see what looked good.

At that point, there were no reviews like we have now, so we’d just go there and see what looked good to see.

CLANCY: Was Captain Marvel bimonthly when you took on Master of Kung Fu? STARLIN: Yes … so I would alternate: one month, Captain Marvel, one month, Master of Kung Fu, or whatever else. Master of Kung Fu quickly turned into something I wasn’t too crazy about. We wanted to do some type of karate book, and Stan had the rights to do Fu Manchu, which I had never read any Fu Manchu, so they asked us to put him in Master of Kung Fu, and we did. Only after the first book came out did Larry Hama come up to me and ask, “Have you ever read a Fu Manchu book?” [laughs] I said no, and he advised me to go down to the bookstore and pick one up, which I did, and I was horrified as it was some of the most racist stuff I had ever read.

CLANCY: Did you create the Shang-Chi character design, or did you have someone like Gil Kane help you?

STARLIN: It was all me. It’s kind of funny, because the character’s costume got approved right away. When I was doing it I had just put a generic head on top of the costume. Then I went through and I did some variation heads and said, “This is what I would like to do.” And once again, Stan said, “You can’t do this! You can’t put an Asian head on him. Use the head you had on the costume design.” That’s when we worked it into the story that Shang-Chi was only half Asian.

CLANCY: When Master of Kung Fu is being used today, they don’t have your name or Steve Englehart’s in the credits as creators. Does this get to you at all?

STARLIN: To tell you the truth, I never see the book so it doesn’t really bother me.

FRIENDS IN THE BUSINESS CLANCY: Did you follow any book after you left it? Were you ever interested in picking up an issue to see what was going on?

STARLIN: I followed Captain Marvel because Steve Englehart, Terry Austin, and my friend Al Milgrom were working on it, and occasionally Klaus Janson. I thought it was a really nice book. Afterwards, when Doug Moench was writing it, I quickly lost interest in it. That’s also when the sales of the book started plummeting.

CLANCY: Do you know why Al left the series?

STARLIN: Steve was leaving the book, and I think Al took on “Guardians of the Galaxy” [in Marvel Presents], so it was just a thing about moving on.

CLANCY: I have always wondered what the “Crusty Bunkers” art credits meant. I know it’s a collaboration of artists. Do you know who they were?

STARLIN: Just a bunch of people who went up to Continuity [Associates, Neal Adams’ art studio] to help out in inking. It all started because Alan Weiss is the worst artist in the world on a deadline. [laughter] Absolutely the worst, and he would always have these six-pagers, and they were always late. The first time I got pulled in was with the Crusty Bunkers and I was drawing some kind of animal, a bull or something, in one of the issues.

CLANCY: I did notice in The Cat #4 that you had to help him on that art chores in that book…

STARLIN: Actually, he helped me. I got the job and he lived down the block, and the job needed to be done in two days because something had happened to the artist that had been working on it. They needed an issue in literally two days, and we were pretty well loaded the whole time we were working on it. [laughs] My girlfriend was bringing us a round of wine, we were partying, and later on Alan Kupperberg came over and helped out a little bit.

CLANCY: Did you start calling up people to help out?

STARLIN: No … everyone kind of knew what we were doing. I lived

near the Marvel offices, so folks would just stop by afterwards. I was living in an apartment with Steve Skeates, and he was always bringing people over.

CLANCY: Were you proud to be a comic-book artist? Did your parents know what you were doing for a living?

STARLIN: I had to send books home, because my parents didn’t believe I was working in comics.

CLANCY: What was their reaction? Did they think it was a waste of time?

STARLIN: They were never what you’d call supportive, but they were never down on it, either. They were just neutral on wherever I was going. They realized I was just gonna head off wherever I wanted to.

I was always gonna be the oddball in the family.

CLANCY: Any brothers or sisters?

STARLIN: Younger brother and a sister, back in the Detroit area.

CLANCY: Do either of them draw?

STARLIN: No, they live very normal lives. She’s an accountant and he’s an electrician.

CLANCY: So the 1970s’ Marvel sounded like a big, old, party place…

Was it a fun time to be in comics?

STARLIN: The industry itself was like that, and they needed us more than we needed them. It was the first time they were hiring since the 1950s.

THE HOME FRONT CLANCY: The Comics Code Authority loosened up in the 1970s and allowed monster and horror comics to be published. Let’s talk about that…

STARLIN: Those taboos had been falling through the cracks for decades. When they first started the Code, you couldn’t do spaceships or creatures with wings, because they were parodies of the angels and the spaceships were phallic symbols. By the time I got there, the big three taboos were nudity and the words “terror” and “zombie.” Marvel had a book where they had to spell the word zombie “Zumbie,” or something like that. [Editor’s note: It was “Zuvembie.”]

CLANCY: When you took on the Warlock series, there were numerous religious undertones. Did you have a religious background?

STARLIN: I was raised Catholic and did my first seven years of grade school in a parochial school.

CLANCY: Was it something you couldn’t wait to get out of?

STARLIN: I ended up shooting a nun with a peashooter to get out of it! [laughter] CLANCY: I think that would have done it, although they might just have taken a ruler to the back of your hand.

STARLIN: Oh, they took rulers! We had Sister Mary Henrietta, who had a metal yardstick that she walked around the class and whacked us on the hands. It was a nightmare! She was my fourthgrade teacher and I couldn’t wait to get out of her class. Then my fifth-grade teacher, Sister Mary Romana, who was a rabid John Bircher, ended up flipping out in midterm and was replaced with Sister Mary Henrietta.

CLANCY: Was her flipping out because of your class?

STARLIN: She left for unspecified reasons, but she was getting pretty flippy. Just before she left, she was hauling little fifth-grade girls into the hallways and getting down on them because of their shoes, because people could look up their dresses from the shoes’ shininess.

She was rabid against Kennedy, even though he was Catholic, all because he was gonna help bring down the class system.

This school was racists and bigots on every level. It was the 1950s and Catholic churches had no control over the schools, and this is where they shipped the crazy nuns.

Battling Behemoths A Thanos vs. Hulk specialty illo by Starlin, courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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CLANCY: I can see how your religious experience translates into your comics. Is it more your disbelief in religion, or do you think it’s just a cult?

STARLIN: My own feelings are that you get a group of people together speaking theology, they’re all going to go in different directions and going to find some way to suppress disbelievers.

CLANCY: Your view of that hasn’t changed in 30 years, has it?

STARLIN: No, but I have softened a little bit in the fact that it’s helped create a status quo which has made civilization into something that is workable. It is accredited and there are good people working in it, but it’s not something I want to be involved in.

CLANCY: Were you in Vietnam?

STARLIN: Yes. I was in Southeast Asia, in intelligence.

RELIGION AND WARLOCK CLANCY: Do you believe that religion is the basis behind all wars in some form or fashion?

STARLIN: I wouldn’t say that. History says money or mineral wealth is as much a cause.

Over in Europe, maybe religion is more the reason.

CLANCY: Have you tried to bring this philosophy into the Warlock comics, and was there ever any skepticism from the editorial department saying that religion isn’t gonna fly in comics? Or did you just get free rein to do what you wanted?

STARLIN: By that time I realized that the later you turn your book in, the easier it was to get published. I’d have the book done, sitting on the table waiting, and I’d wait until the deadline was due. There was nothing worse than missing a deadline, so it pretty much went through unchanged.

CLANCY: Was there any fallout from the fan base?

STARLIN: No. The book was pretty well accepted. Everyone enjoyed it. We occasionally got crazy letters, and for some reason they kept sending them out to California and back, but most of the time they just went into the trashcan. Occasionally I’d look through them, and if there was one written in crayon I’d read it.

CLANCY: Did you receive fan mail in the 1970s?

STARLIN: Yes. They would pick out some for the letters pages and they would send out the rest, and it mostly went to the writers on the book.

CLANCY: Why were you just penciling and not inking your own work?

STARLIN: It’s a lot of work. I was doing a lot of partying out there and there was just a limited amount of time. I started out inking Warlock and then got Steve Leialoha working from my layouts except for the last issue. The Star-Thief story was all Leialoha from tightening up the pencils to the coloring.

CLANCY: At this point you knew you had a hit, so why did you leave Marvel Comics in the 1970s?

STARLIN: I had an agreement with Roy Thomas, Len Wein, and Marv Wolfman that any changes to Warlock would be run through me. Gerry Conway came in as editor and had somebody go through and redraw things in the very last issue of Warlock. Some of the stuff was really messed up. I also wrote about this in my book, that Leialoha and I agree that he didn’t have to draw in a nice, thick line where that red of Warlock’s outfit separated at the chest level where the orange was, so a lot of the times we could handle it in the color. In the black-and-white [line art] it would look like it was missing and we were gonna cover it, and they got somebody who just put it in the lines wherever they wanted. When they sent this out to coloring I said, “This can’t go like this.

We either get rid of those lines or I’m gonna quit the book because I had an agreement on this.” Conway said, “Well, whatever agreements you had before don’t matter, because I’m the editor now!” Then I said, “Okay, then—find yourself another artist on this book.” And I left.

Adam Warlock A signed marker sketch of Warlock, from the collection of Shaun Clancy. The cosmic hero’s history was explored in depth in BACK ISSUE #34. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

30 • BACK ISSUE • Dead Heroes Issue

CLANCY: Then I believe Warlock appeared next in Marvel Team-Up with Spider-Man. Did that issue have anything to do with where you were heading with the storyline, and did you have any plots you left behind when you quit?

STARLIN: I had a few pages penciled up for the next issue, and as it happened the book got canceled right away because there was a big paper shortage. I think Killraven in Amazing Adventures, Luke Cage, Warlock, and a few others all got canceled at the same time.

CLANCY: Wasn’t P. Craig Russell on Killraven at that time?

STARLIN: Yes, I believe he was.

CLANCY: He was yet another great artist. This had to be a fun time to be in comics. Did you play off of one another, and did everyone show each other’s work around?

STARLIN: Craig was out in Ohio. He did live in the city for awhile, and I never hung around Craig all that much. As much as I like Craig and liked his work, I didn’t see much of him. I’d see more of Val Mayerik, who came up from the same area, and Paul Gulacy. They stayed back in Ohio for the most part, although Val did, for a while, share a [New York] studio with Upstart Studios with Walt Simonson, Howard Chaykin, Jim Sherman, and myself. Jim Sherman took over Val’s spot [in the studio] when he left.

CLANCY: Didn’t Jim Sherman go to DC Comics and work with Jack Abel on Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes?

STARLIN: He did that for years, and they did work out well together.

CLANCY: Whatever happened to Jim? STARLIN: He’s still in New York. I see him occasionally. He’s into doing movie-projects stuff like storyboarding and design. He designed a lot of alien stuff for the movie Men in Black. He’s in the movie credits. He’s always done a lot of commercial work like storyboarding.

“You left all this stuff hanging”… …said Marvel editor Archie Goodwin when he asked Jim Starlin to conclude his Warlock saga in two 1977 double-sized editions, (right) Avengers Annual #7 and (bottom right) Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

CLANCY: You left Marvel with no job in mind, thinking you could get a job anywhere…?

STARLIN: Let me see … I was in California at the time.

I got some work with Warren right away, doing Darklon.

CLANCY: How did that come about, and why Warren?

Did you hear they were hiring, or did someone refer you to them?

STARLIN: They were always hiring, and they had this really good editor—Archie Goodwin. I don’t remember how that all happened. It just did, but it wasn’t Archie [as my Warren editor]. It was Louise Jones [Simonson], who was the editor of Creepy and Eerie for the longest time. I knew her but I just can’t remember how it came about happening.

CLANCY: Had you already created Darklon, or did you create it specifically for that magazine?

STARLIN: Just specifically for them. It sprang off some of that Moorcock’s Elric stuff, somehow or another.

CLANCY: You did a lot of reading back then?

STARLIN: Yeah. I was never much of a science-fiction reader until I got into comics, and then I started talking to other people about books and they would always suggest books. Mostly Howard Chaykin was suggesting books.

CLANCY: Why didn’t you stay with Warren Publishing?

STARLIN: I started working at Bakshi’s animation studio and, in fact, the very last story I did after I worked at Bakshi’s was the very last Darklon story I ever did. It was just something I was doing. When I got one done, I’d send it to Warren. Then I’d get paid and then they’d print it.

Darklon would take awhile to do because it was in wash tone, markers, and all sorts of different things.

THE 1977 MARVEL ANNUALS CLANCY: At the time you left Marvel and you were at Warren, did Marvel try stiffing you at all on payment back then?

STARLIN: Well, there wasn’t any money they could stiff. I mean, you only got paid a page rate back then. There was no such thing as reprint rights or anything like royalties.

CLANCY: After the animation work, where’d you go?

STARLIN: I came back to New York after awhile.

Archie Goodwin was the editor-in-chief at Marvel and asked me if I wanted to do the Avengers and the Marvel Two-in-One Annuals.

CLANCY: This would be around 1977…

STARLIN: I threw all my possessions in a truck, and Al Weiss and I drove back across country together.

CLANCY: With the Marvel job in mind?

STARLIN: No, no. I came to New York and ran into Archie at a party, and he asked if I wanted to do this. I didn’t have any other work lined up, so I said, “Sure.”

CLANCY: Did you look at this assignment as unfinished business?

STARLIN: Yeah. Actually, that’s what Archie said that sold me on that idea. He said, “You left all this stuff hanging. Don’t you wanna finish it?” So I said, “Sure.”

CLANCY: Since you had a couple of years off since the Warlock series, did you know what direction you wanted to go in?

STARLIN: I hadn’t given it any thought. I had already established that Warlock was going to kill himself in Warlock #11, so the whole premise when coming back to it, was with him eventually killing himself.

CLANCY: But when you created that foresight in issue #11, you still did not have Avengers Annual #7 in your head, right?

STARLIN: No, I didn’t.

CLANCY: You just knew you’d eventually find a way to get that in there?

STARLIN: I used to work very spontaneously. I would have a plot in my head and halfway through a story it might change. I loved working like that back then, and I miss that about the comic-book industry now.

That’s more than anything why I don’t want to work in that version of comics anymore. Just the fact that you’re so restricted now, that they want everything [documented and planned] now, even the plot, and if you vary from it, they freak out on you.

CLANCY: Avengers Annual #7 had you as writer and artist, but Joe Rubinstein came on as inker.

STARLIN: I started off inking it and I know he came into it because they also wanted me to do the Marvel Two-in-One Dead Heroes Issue

© 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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BACK ISSUE • 31

Early Dreadstar Cover illustration for the Metamorphosis Odyssey Portfolio, a collection of four 14" x11" plates released by S. Q. Productions in 1980.

“Metamorphosis Odyssey” was Starlin’s original Dreadstar serial, appearing in Marvel’s Epic Illustrated magazine #1–9.

Annual then. The Avengers Annual was all tight pencils, and I inked a lot of that. Joe inked about the last five pages or something. Then I did the layouts for the Two-in-One Annual for him to tighten up.

CLANCY: The inking job on Avengers Annual #7, now that you clarified it, didn’t feel to me like a Joe Rubinstein inking job, although he is credited. It is very dark and has your fingerprints all over it, and I have always thought that you had something to do with that inking job.

How long did it take you to do this project? Did they give you a deadline or did you just submit it when you were done?

STARLIN: It had a deadline, as I recall. The Annuals always came out in the summer, and I remember coming back into New York sometime in April, so this thing had to have been out by June so they would have needed it fairly quickly.

CLANCY: Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 looks a little more rushed than Avengers Annual #7, artwork-wise.

Was that the case? Did you do Avengers Annual #7 and then find out you were running out of time on the MTIO Annual?

STARLIN: I had Avengers Annual #7 done and then they asked me to do Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2, and that was just layouts. That was not tight pencils on that job.

CLANCY: So, when you were finished with Avengers Annual #7, you didn’t know MTIO Annual #2 was coming out?

STARLIN: Not really. There were some things that were still not done. Thanos still needed to be dealt with, which wasn’t that big a problem as he could

© Jim Starlin.

32 • BACK ISSUE • Dead Heroes Issue

always show up somewhere else. MTIO Annual #2 was more of an afterthought, to tell you the truth.

CLANCY: Well, it was still very well done and is still a classic.

Now that it’s over 30 years later, do you look back at it, was there something you would have changed if you knew then what you know now? Would you not have finished off that storyline in MTIO Annual #2, or are you satisfied with it the way it is?

STARLIN: I am very satisfied with it the way it is. I got to do what I wanted. Archie was a good editor to work with.

CLANCY: Another dark inking job back in 1978-ish was Ghost Rider #35, where Ghost Rider was motorcycle racing with Death. Do you recall that storyline?

STARLIN: Yeah, that was one of those things that I needed a few bucks and someone called me up and I said, “Okay … I’ll do one of those.”

CLANCY: Were you open to the idea or were you more like, “This would be interesting to see Death in”? Was this the first time you had physically shown Death? I know you’ve referred to Death many times in your comic career, but— STARLIN: —No … she was also in Captain Marvel and Warlock.

CLANCY: As the girl in the robe?

STARLIN: Yes, and I was a biker back then, too, so Ghost Rider was a good fit. It was just the one issue.

I was doing some one-shot issues for Marvel. Did the Nick Fury with Howard Chaykin. That was a one-shot that we did for something like Marvel Spotlight.

CLANCY: You also did some sporadic covers for issues you did not illustrate.

STARLIN: A lot of those. If you were popular, they would want you to do a cover for an issue, hoping the cover would help it sell. I did a lot of that over at DC, also.

CLANCY: You also did an Amazing Spider-Man issue with Captain America and Electro [#187, Dec. 1978].

STARLIN: That was just prior to the Epic comic line. There is a funny story about that comic. Bob McLeod inked it, and later on I was turning in some pages for Metamorphosis Odyssey and I had this one sequence where this house is getting blown up. Bob McLeod was in the office and he said, “You stole that panel!” I said, “Excuse me?” He said, “ You stole that panel.

That was something I just inked. You stole that panel and I know the exact spot it appeared!” Then he recalled the exact job, Amazing Spider-Man #187, and realized I’d drawn it. So I guess I really did steal it, from myself.

THE CREATION OF DREADSTAR CLANCY: At this point in your career, did you already have the Dreadstar storyline in your head? Did you even know the Metamorphosis Odyssey was going to be Dreadstar?

STARLIN: No … it was supposed to be a science-fiction fairy tale.

It started off as a fairy tale. There was this other editor that was there before Archie who was going to be the editor of the Epic Illustrated line, and I don’t think [the imprint] had that name at this point, it was just going to be this black-and-white magazine. He bought the first episode from me and then Marvel decided he wasn’t working out. Then they started finding all this stuff that he had bought and was storing away and they were horrified to see what he had commissioned. When Archie took over, I redid the first episode of Metamorphosis Odyssey. Originally it was done on white paper and I was just doing wash work. Then I discovered gray paper, with pulling the highlights out with either paint or conti crayons. That’s why it’s got that different look to it.

CLANCY: It looked great. Where you always happy with it?

STARLIN: Oh, yes … that’s the first time I ever starting working with photo reference.

CLANCY: Was the fairy tale something that came out of your head, or did it have some foundation?

STARLIN: It was pretty much out of my head. I had this idea I was gonna do this fairy tale about Vietnam, but once I started getting down to it the cute little ogre turned into Za, who was a cannibal.

It just didn’t stay cute for very long. I wanted to do [material like] Mike Ploog, and some of the early Dreadstar drawings started to look like the kind of thing that he was later doing, with big-eyed things, but that didn’t last long. I just wasn’t made for that sort of thing.

CLANCY: It then Metamorphosized—pun intended—into Dreadstar?

When did that idea hit you?

STARLIN: I think as soon as I started drawing Dreadstar. Dreadstar doesn’t come in until the fifth episode of the story, and as I started drawing him I said to myself, “You know, I like this guy.” And I immediately realized that he was the anarchist that lives within all of us.

He basically went off on his own. I think he was always meant to live because he wasn’t one of the good people. Willow, Zar, and Juliet were all innocents, and he was the dark side. Dreadstar and Aknaton were both the dark side that shouldn’t be taken to the next level.

CLANCY: The character conception for Dreadstar—like the beard, moustache, etc.—why that layout, since it was uncharacteristic of the other heroes you’ve worked on?

STARLIN: That was because that was how I looked at the time.

CLANCY: So Dreadstar was you?

STARLIN: That was me.

CLANCY: Hood and all?

STARLIN: Yes. I cut off a sweater hood and put it on. Everyone in that

Metamorphosis Odyssey was somebody. Juliet was Lynn Varley, and she later married Frank Miller, who posed as her father in that same story.

Juliet’s mother was Laurie Sutton, an editor at Marvel that Frank Miller was dating at that time. The superintendent of that building was the grandfather in that scene. Val Mayerik and I alternated between Aknaton and sometimes he would wear the baldhead and sometimes I would wear it. I was Za. Walt Simonson was a character in that series called Jonas Soul, and posed for that.

CLANCY: Were these people aware that they were posing for your comic?

STARLIN: Oh, yeah. They would come in and I would have the camera set up and they’d dress up. An old girlfriend of mine was a Whisperer.

I talked her into taking off all her clothes and putting on this big, white Afro. They all knew what they were getting into.

CLANCY: These people all did it for free since they were all friends, right?

STARLIN: Yes. They would just come up to the studio and pose and afterwards I probably had to buy them a dinner or something.

CLANCY: How did you get a white Afro wig?

STARLIN: From some junk costume place. I think I bought it before I ever thought of a use for it. I think somebody used it as a costume at a Halloween party. Halloween was very big back then. [laughter] CLANCY: How did the concept of a sword being used by Dreadstar come about?

STARLIN: It was a sword but I came across this pike head at a junk store, and that’s what I used for reference. I believe it was a Spanish pike head, and I thought it would look cool without the shaft and just went with that.

CLANCY: After the story completed in Warren’s magazine, it then moved to the Epic imprint, and was one of the first in that line, correct?

Launching a Line Starlin’s hero spun off into his own series starting with Dreadstar #1 (Nov. 1982), the first title in Marvel’s Epic Comics imprint. © Jim Starlin.

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“The Meeting of Slayers” From the Metamorphosis Odyssey Portfolio. © Jim Starlin.

STARLIN: It was the first title in that line.

CLANCY: I always thought Marvel Fanfare was the first, but I guess that wasn’t in the Epic line?

STARLIN: No … that was Milgrom’s little baby that they published whenever he got the art together.

CLANCY: I always liked how Al did self-caricatures in that magazine.

I believe you also did that for the Dreadstar series, but in photos?

STARLIN: Yes, but it usually wasn’t me. I was usually taking the pictures.

CLANCY: So the person with the bag over his head was…?

STARLIN: Most of the time it would have been Bernie Wrightson, and occasionally it would be my ex-wife. She’s in the photos, and sometimes I would dress her up in a sweatsuit or something so you wouldn’t see that she was a female.

Carl Potts, I know [he posed] at least one time, when I came into the office where there was a sequence with Archie killing me in the office.

CLANCY: Killing you for missing a deadline?

STARLIN: I forget what the offense was.

CLANCY: I had always thought that you just put a camera on a timer and then posed for the camera.

STARLIN: No, I always had someone else in the bag. I may have been in it one time.

There was one sequence I remember where I had my ex-wife shoot the pictures because it had cats. I had put catnip all over this sweatsuit I was wearing, and I had these two cats crawling all over me, and I just had her take the pictures. That had to be the only time I was actually under the bag.

CLANCY: What gave you the idea for the bag? Did you just not want your picture taken period?

STARLIN: No, no … I’ve had my picture taken quite often. I wanted to do something unique in the front of the book, and Dreadstar, the book, for the most part was so grim, especially at the beginning, and this was just a nice little release.

CLANCY: Are the supporting cast of the Dreadstar crew also people you knew?

STARLIN: Oedi was my cat.

CLANCY: Is it pronounced “O-D”?

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STARLIN: No, it’s pronounced “Eddie,” like in Oedipus.

Willow was based on a Gibson girl with that hair, and she went on from there.

CLANCY: Have you been a cat person your entire life?

STARLIN: No. I had a dog when I was a kid. Once I moved up here, [cats] started finding me. I don’t go out and buy pets. They come out of the woods and they come live with me.

CLANCY: Every cat I have had, have all been strays that people in apartments have left behind.

STARLIN: I live in the Catskills Mountains and I’m literally surrounded by trees with deer, beer, raccoons, coyotes, and cats. This latest cat just showed up underneath the stairs and eventually talked its way into the house.

CLANCY: Any other animals?

STARLIN: No. I had three cats at one time, but they all died off.

CLANCY: How long did Oedi live?

STARLIN: Oedi lived to be about 14, I think. He went with my wife when I got divorced.

CLANCY: Wasn’t Tueton based on a Bernie Wrightson character from the movie Heavy Metal?

STARLIN: Hanover Fist. Yes, he was, and Tueton was Hanover Fist’s cousin. We had that somewhere in the book, since Bernie and I were pretty close friends. He lived just a few miles away and he had already done Hanover Fist. In fact, Bernie ran “Hanover Fist” as a backup feature for a few issues.

CLANCY: Did you plot that series out a few issues or were you also winging it?

STARLIN: I was winging it. I knew that I was working toward a grand finale that was heading off for something like 30 issues, and it was gonna be a magnum opus. It got plotted when I thought things would work.

CLANCY: As a reader, I couldn’t tell that. It read so well that it looks like one big, long novel.

STARLIN: To be fair, I did have things [planned] like, “This is when Dreadstar gets hurt,” and “This is when Dreadstar loses his sword.”

I knew those things were coming ahead of time, but what happened

actually in the story in each issue, I winged. There was an issue where I had them sitting around throughout the entire comic and the main bulk of the story was this frozen-cat tale that I had been telling as a joke for years.

I thought, “God, when am I gonna do this issue?” So I throw in the frozen-cat story and have Skeezo tell it to Oedi. I believe this story takes place on a planet during a lull in the Dreadstar story.

CLANCY: When Dreadstar loses the sword and it becomes a part of him, he starts to become more like a superhero with a powerful fist, flight, etc. What made you want to go that route with this character? Were you bored with the sword?

STARLIN: I was “bored with the sword”… [laughs] CLANCY: Because it was limiting?

STARLIN: Yes. I wanted to do something different, and I think the superheroes were selling well at that point and that may have gotten me going in that direction. I wanted to lighten up a little bit, and that’s why I drew a different uniform. I never really intended to keep it that way, and naturally it didn’t stay that way. I needed something different at that point.

CLANCY: When you created these powers for Dreadstar, did you give him powers that you were subconsciously or consciously gonna use on another character down the road, or did you wing it?

STARLIN: I think I was missing doing things like Captain Marvel, and Dreadstar was sort of like a Captain Marvel character in his own way during that spell. I just wanted to do some of the old stuff again for a bit.

CLANCY: When you built up to a battle sequence in your stories, you never let the reader down. Did you always know that ahead of time that you would designate entire issues to a battle, versus a few panels in a regular issue?

STARLIN: Oh, yeah … the theory at Marvel is that you want to get to a fight as soon as possible.

CLANCY: Which usually falls flat, like when heroes are fighting each other due to some dumb misunderstanding that even a five-year-old could see through.

STARLIN: I never liked that sort of thing in a story.

I always felt that the story was more important than the art.

CLANCY: Was there any editorial interference on Dreadstar?

STARLIN: No—Archie was a beauty to work with. I mean, he would occasionally, if I told him what I was going to do, say, “Maybe this might work,” and I would think about it and if I agreed I would put in, otherwise he would just leave me to my own devices. He knew I was gonna bring it in on time, so that was a neat thing.

CLANCY: Was Dreadstar selling well?

STARLIN: It was under contract and I was getting paid on a royalty basis, so I knew exactly how it was doing.

CLANCY: Was it doing better than you thought it would?

STARLIN: Especially at the beginning, it was outselling most of the Marvel books. That’s when I think Marvel started giving royalties on their books, because of how well Pacific Comics was doing.

CLANCY: Marvel was trying to use Pacific’s royalty structure as a blueprint on their books?

STARLIN: Well, they knew all the good guys wanted to go work with Archie on the Epic line, so they had to do something.

Dead Heroes Issue

The Death of Captain Marvel (left) Cover to Marvel Graphic Novel #1 (1982), The Death of Captain Marvel, and (above) an interior original-art page, with heroes gathering by Mar-Vell’s deathbed.

Characters © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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What You Gonna Do About Him? Warlock (originally called “Him” in 1967 when introduced in Fantastic Four) fell into Starlin’s hands beginning with Strange Tales #178 (Feb. 1975).

This original page from that issue was later colored by Sam Parsons. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

WORKING WITH INDEPENDENTS CLANCY: How did Dreadstar go from Epic Comics to First Comics?

STARLIN: The Death of Captain Marvel [graphic novel] and Dreadstar were selling very well. [Marvel’s] bookkeeping department, I talked to them, I was friendly with them, or so I thought. I [must have] rubbed someone the wrong way. My checks just started disappearing.

I was waiting months for checks. I had a house up in the country and I couldn’t afford not to get paid.

The checks would get cut and before they went out in the mail someone was grabbing mine and throwing it in the trash can. That scenario is the only thing that ever made sense, looking back at it now. This went on for six months and finally I said, “That’s enough.”

CLANCY: Did First Comics entice you into coming on board their line, or did you approach them?

STARLIN: I knew [First publisher] Rick Obadiah from conventions. He had been starting up his line and he

knew I wasn’t happy over at Marvel, as I wasn’t getting paid. I was letting everyone know about this. To be fair, [Marvel’s] editorial was trying to get me paid.

CLANCY: Did anyone else at Epic have the same problem?

STARLIN: No … just exclusively me. They would say the check had gone out and then I’d have to wait a month and a half before they’d cut another one and my bills were piling up and I told them I just couldn’t work like this anymore. I really hated leaving Archie and Jo Duffy, who was my assistant editor, but I just couldn’t live like that anymore so we went from Epic to First Comics instead.

CLANCY: At Epic, did you have to hire the letterer and colorist, or did they do that?

STARLIN: They paid for the letterer and I think I was paying Christie Scheele to color, so I was paying the colorist. They were paying the letterer and I got a different setup over at First. They had a whole different coloring system. They were coloring on acetate sheets underneath blue lines. It was a very strange, transitionary way of doing color, so they covered that. Eventually I said, “I can’t draw this anymore.” After I gave up drawing the book, we changed Dreadstar into a detective kind of character.

CLANCY: With Angel Medina on art?

STARLIN: Angel came later. Luke McDonnell did Dreadstar for a while.

CLANCY: Did you find Luke or did First supply you with the artist?

STARLIN: I think I actually found Luke. I’m pretty sure I found him at a convention or something like that.

They were happy to have him. Later on they found Angel and he did a really nice job on it.

“PAWNS” AND NOVELS CLANCY: How did the text story in the middle of the comics come about?

STARLIN: Oh, you mean “Pawns.” My ex-wife [Daina Graziunas] and I had sold two novels—Among Madmen and Lady El—and then there was Thinning the Predators, but it was on a shelf for over eight years. The books, more than anything over the years, had been my chief source of income. I have made much more on books than I ever have in all of comics, if you take original art [sales] out of the equation. Thinning the Predators and Among Madmen have made an incredible amount of money just on their movie-rights options. They have never been made into a movie, but different producers have bought options ever since they were published.

Every few years I sell options on them again.

Thinning the Predators is a story all into itself. It wasn’t science fiction and it wasn’t horror and the agent we had, Athos Demetriou, he quit being an agent because [of poor health]. When Thinning the Predators was done, there was just no place to sell it, so it went on a shelf for years and my wife and I split up. Through a strange series of events, she got the novel to this guy who got it to a producer he knew who got it to Steven Spielberg. Well, Steven Spielberg talked Warner Bros. into buying the movie rights to Thinning the Predators. The producer insisted, “You gotta get an agent and get this thing published.”

We connected with this very good agent named Henry Morris. Henry went to Warner Bros. Books, and because they were gonna make a movie with Spielberg he got us a really good deal with them. Then Steven Spielberg, 15 minutes later, decided he was gonna go start up Dreamworks, but Warner Bros. held on to the novel rights and actually wrote up a script and gave it to some guy who was very hot. The only thing that survived from the original story was the last name of the main character.

CLANCY: Did you have any input into the screenplay?

36 • BACK ISSUE • Dead Heroes Issue

STARLIN: None whatsoever. It doesn’t matter since we had been sufficiently paid, so they could do whatever they wanted. Thinning the Predators, because of the Spielberg connection, was printed in over 17 different languages, so it’s been a good moneymaker over the years.

CLANCY: What was the relationship between you and your ex-wife on Thinning the Predators? Was she a collaborator and you, the author?

STARLIN: I usually came up with the stories and then I would write a draft and then she’d rework the draft.

Then I’d rework her draft and we’d pass it back and forth until we had a book that we liked. I think she contributed more to the plot of Lady El than any of the other books.

The others ones were pretty much me writing up plots.

CLANCY: Was Among Madmen based on that movie from the 1970s, The Andromeda Strain?

STARLIN: No. Actually, it was more of an offshoot of the zombie movies by George Romero. I just wanted to do a closed environment, and the insanity part just sort of came out from wanting to do something along those lines.

CLANCY: Back at First Comics, did you write “Pawns” thinking it was going to be a novel, or did you always know it was a filler?

STARLIN: It was always gonna be a filler, and it was designed as such. I sent in a plot to the editor, and he tried to change everything, so we argued and we did it exactly how I wanted it to be. I think maybe we made a couple of his changes. He wanted a dog in the story.

CLANCY: You’re kidding!

STARLIN: No, no … I did use the dog idea much later in Captain Comet, as a direct offshoot of him trying to put a dog into this particular story.

CLANCY: I noticed “Pawns” had some similarities to another series you worked on called Gilgamesh, especially where they are on a planet and there was a

creature coming out of a pyramid to kill people…

STARLIN: A lot of that story came out of a 1950s sciencefiction movie where there was something crawling underneath the sand and grabbing astronauts, but I can’t remember the name of the movie. I just remember it was scary. It was a cheapo movie and I was probably eight or nine at the time I saw it. In fact, they didn’t have any budget so they didn’t show anything. It was like Cat People. A hand would move and people would disappear. Then there was another one called Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the original one, where you would get sucked down into the sand.

CLANCY: I thought “Pawns” was so well done that I was surprised to see you not do another. Once you start a story like “Pawns” in a book, you’re committed for twelve issues regardless of feedback. Was that tough to sell to the editors?

STARLIN: Peter David was writing the Dreadstar book at that point and so they wanted to keep me involved in some way, and this was what I wanted to do. I believe that “Pawns” was some of my best pen-and-ink work.

I have been scanning these recently, and going, “I did a nice job on that.”

CLANCY: How did you relationship with First Comics end?

STARLIN: They started running into problems financially.

They eventually folded up, and I believe I saw the writing on the wall and was able to get out of it before then. They had gone into some other ventures outside of comics and lost some money.

CLANCY: After First Comics, you were able to keep the rights to Dreadstar, correct? I also believe there was a miniseries with him at Malibu Comics, too?

STARLIN: Yes—Peter David again. They wanted a Dreadstar book and I was doing Breed. Peter one day said, “Do you mind if I do [Dreadstar] as a female?” And I said, Dead Heroes Issue

“The Reprieve” (above) From the Metamorphosis Odyssey Portfolio. (below) Cover to the novel Thinning the Predators.

Metamorphosis Odyssey © Jim Starlin.

© Daina Graziunas and Jim Starlin.

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“Well … it’s not really my book anymore, so go ahead.”

CLANCY: You still own the rights, and where is Dreadstar now?

STARLIN: Yes. I would like to do one last story where he connects up with Willow, Whisper, and Zar, but I don’t know when it will be done or if it will be done.

CLANCY: You haven’t felt out any publishers yet on that? And wasn’t Breed by a company called Bravura?

STARLIN: They were part of Malibu, and Marvel Comics bought them so that they could close down their computer-coloring shop.

That seems to be the entire reason why they bought it.

CLANCY: Breed had Vietnam experiences in it, so was this a story you had been waiting to get out?

STARLIN: There was a lot of autobiography in there. I was going through my divorce at that point and just working a lot of stuff out of my system, and comics have always been good therapy in that regard.

CLANCY: Was Breed II in your mind when you before you completed Breed [I]? I believe there was a year between the two series.

STARLIN: I had sold the novels by that point and I was flush with cash, so I didn’t really feel like having to work that much. I wish I hadn’t stopped at that point, because of my time off I really don’t think the art in the second series was as good as the first Breed mini, plus I might have been able to keep Malibu alive, too, because Breed was a very good seller for them. I think they only had one other character that sold better, which was like a Superman-like character. [Editor’s note: That series was Prime, which premiered in 1993.]

CLANCY: Bravura had a one-shot preview issue with examples of their up-and-coming line of comics. Was the Breed portion something you did for free?

STARLIN: I probably got paid for it, because my lawyer made sure we got paid for everything.

CLANCY: I believe they also had a Bravura stamp contest, where you needed to get stamps from all their comics and send the stamps in to get a poster?

STARLIN: Actually, it was a gold-foiled Breed #1, which they never did send out because when they closed up shop they sent me all these boxes with them in it.

Meet Mongul (left) Starlin introduced his “DC Thanos,” Mongul, in DC Comics Presents #27 (Nov. 1980). The villain returned the next issue (right) and has since become a DC mainstay (see page 72 for another glimpse of Mongul).

TM & © DC Comics.

38 • BACK ISSUE • Dead Heroes Issue

DC COMICS PRESENTS CLANCY: Did I miss any comics between Captain Marvel and Breed?

STARLIN: I did a stint on Superman over at DC. CLANCY: Oh, yes … DC Comics Presents. [Editor’s note: In 1980, Starlin plotted and penciled four issues of the Superman team-up title DC Comics Presents, issues #26–29, co-starring Green Lantern, the Manhunter from Mars, Supergirl, and the Spectre, respectively.

The next year he returned for two back-to-back issues, #36 (Superman and Starman) and 37 (Superman and Hawkgirl).]

STARLIN: Those were kind of fun. I was working with [editor] Julie Schwartz. Julie was fun to work with because he was coming to the end of his career. He was a legend and needed to get these books out, and once again it was like, “Okay, I’ll come in and tell you what the plot is.” And I always lied to him about what the plot was. [laughter] CLANCY: Did he know that?

STARLIN: No. I was gonna have Superman meet God and I don’t remember what I told him about that. Every time, DC gave me a new scripter to work with—Marv Wolfman or Len Wein—and Len was the funniest because Len knew I was gonna lie. He walked in there with me and I told Julie a lie and left and then I gave Len the plot and Len said, “You got him meeting God. We can’t turn this in.” I said, “Just write it. We’ll turn it in. Julie will love it.”

And he did. Julie said, “Oh … God? We … we talked about this, didn’t we?” and I’d say, “Oh, yeah … yeah, we did.” He’d say, “Okay, then.”

CLANCY: Were you happy with the results of the art on that series?

STARLIN: Yeah. [Inker/finisher] Romeo Tanghal did a lot for that book. I did tight layouts but he was still adding a lot to it. I had a few other done in earlier issues by different inkers that were actually tighter pencils, but they just came out not too well. The Green Lantern one was particularly disappointing. So when they got Romeo I was very pleased.

CLANCY: You were on that series for about six issues, with the Mongul storyline?

STARLIN: Yeah. He was my DC Thanos.

CLANCY: Mongul had yellow skin, and I’ve noticed that your villains usually have at least twice the body dimensions of a normal person. Is that a Jack Kirby influence?

STARLIN: I think probably Jack was responsible as anyone. Sure, blame it on Jack. I just like big guys.

I did a few skinny ones that were tall. Height is an impressive thing. I just felt they should be bulky.

BERNIE WRIGHTSON COLLABORATIONS CLANCY: At this point, in the ’80s, you’re at DC and doing The Weird with Bernie Wrightson. Where did that creation come from?

STARLIN: To tell you the truth, I don’t remember how I came up with that storyline! [laughter] I pretty much did everything. I designed the character.

Bernie came along and gave him opera gloves and some looser stuff, but the basic design I came up with ahead of time.

CLANCY: Did you approach Bernie or did he approach you?

STARLIN: We were living in the same area and Bernie was beginning to get to a point where if he didn’t have enough stimuli on the job he would never finish it. Ron Marz and I discovered this because we both lived around in this area and I think later on he got a really good Batman/Predator story out of him and then later I got [Batman:] The Cult and Punisher: P.O.V., only because I was around and I’d come over and say, “Hey, you’re doing great.

Keep it up. Good work.” And so he’d have the juice to go back to it. In the middle of all this, DC decided that we weren’t going to do another Batman after The Cult because they wanted Bernie to do Swamp Thing. Len Wein was out in California and Bernie was in New York, and I think [Wrightson] got through half the book of the first issue on a four-issue [Swamp Thing] miniseries and he was just burned out. He just completely lost interest in it and it never got done.

CLANCY: Did you discover that on The Weird?

STARLIN: Yeah. We saw each other regularly as he lived a few miles away, and both he and our wives socialized a lot. He came over and it was the first of the collaborations we did, but I believe it was more about he needed the money for a mortgage he had. [His horror] posters weren’t selling as well.

The Weird did well and we went on to The Cult and later on Punisher: P.O.V. CLANCY: The two of you also did a Hulk vs. Thing graphic novel.

STARLIN: Oh, yeah—that was actually the first book we did. I forgot all about it. The Big Change.

CLANCY: It was very reminiscent of Marvel Feature #11, which you did in the 1970s, where your first Hulk vs. Thing battle took place. Bernie did a great job on the Big Change graphic novel—was he motivated while doing it?

STARLIN: Yes … and we did it in the Marvel style,

too, which was something he wasn’t comfortable with at first but I think he really got into. I just gave him up a plot and he started drawing it. Later on, we switched back over to full scripts for him because he felt comfortable with that.

CLANCY: Some writers give thumbnails with their scripts. Is that what you do?

STARLIN: I did early on, with some other artists I worked with. Jim Sherman did a fill-in story of Dreadstar and I gave him some thumbnails. Archie Goodwin did the same thing, so I sort of emulated what he did, but very barebones. Even to this day, if I do a full script for somebody, I will send panel breakdowns along, with the understanding that they can change it if they like.

CLANCY: It is definitely old school. I ask that question to writers and I am getting fewer and fewer that say they supply thumbnails.

STARLIN: Artists are becoming the driving force behind the books. The writers want to do less work.

I look at scripts now and panel descriptions and writing are like movie plots. Directors don’t want too much detail and so they feel like they should write them the same way. I’m more like the way Alan Moore works—heavy on the detail.

TM & © DC Comics.

The Cult (right) Bernie Wrightson original unused cover rough for Batman: The Cult #3, written by Starlin.

TM & © DC Comics.

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CONTEMPORARY COMICS

TM & © 2011 DC Comics.

CLANCY: Do you read current comics?

STARLIN: Not much. Not at all, actually.

CLANCY: Me either, but I wanted to hear your answer first. If I wanted to pick up a Superman comic today, I’d feel like I just missed 12 years’ worth of information and would be completely lost because I didn’t buy the five titles a month for the last 12 years. Back in the old days, you could pick up a Superman comic and it was like visiting an old friend. You knew who he was and nothing historically had changed. If I picked up The Hulk today—he’s red now or there’re two or three Hulks now and I would be lost, so why buy it? Basically, the comic companies are preying on the existing readership and not trying to induce anyone new to try their stuff.

STARLIN: Not too long ago I worked on an Adam Strange series called Strange Adventures (left). They kept giving it new titles! [laughs] Captain Comet, Adam Strange, and the Weird were all in it.

CLANCY: Did they tell you who to put in the miniseries?

STARLIN: Pretty much at the end. They threw in Hawkman. Bizarro, I took willingly because I wanted to do Bizarro. They threw in Animal Man and Starman and it got to be a mess at the end. They started sending me the bundles and I thought maybe these were to connect with the Countdown series or something, so I started feeling I had to read the bundles. I was getting all these books and reading them and realizing they made absolutely no sense even though I was getting all of them, because they seemed to change their minds half way through the job.

There was one writer, Grant Morrison, who would agree on things and then do something completely different that would screw up the continuity of the other writers.

CLANCY: So, it wasn’t a well-orchestrated “Death of Superman”-type of atmosphere? Was it more like, “Here’s the premise” and “Do whatever you want with it—no one’s double-checking anyone’s work”?

STARLIN: There’s no editorial control over these projects whatsoever anymore. They hammer things out at the beginning to get you going and then they lose track of it because it gets too big.

CLANCY: When you brought back Captain Comet in Strange Adventures, was that your idea or was it someone they threw at you?

STARLIN: I was supposed to do Adam Strange. At the last moment, they realized Adam Strange was blind in Countdown or one of those types of books! [laughter] [Editor] Bob Schreck called me up to say, “We can’t do it, so we’ll have to use Captain Comet.” So I said, “Okay, let me think about this,” and I was gonna quit it. I happened to be out at Lake Michigan at this point as I was staying at a friend’s house and took a walk along the beach. By the time I came back from the walk on the beach, I had the entire story in my head. I had the dog but I didn’t have the name until later because I needed a really strange name and I finally found “Tyrone” from Tyrone Powers. I had it all down there and had a great time with it.

CLANCY: I thought it was very well done, seeing as how Captain Comet was a Silver Age character. Did you have to read the Who’s Who, or did you know his history?

STARLIN: I use to read Captain Comet when I was a kid on the way up to Torch Lake in Michigan. I use to read Captain Comet, but I thought he was just horrible. I love Murphy Anderson’s artwork, but it was just a weak story, was supposedly written by sciencefiction writer Otto Binder. It was like, “Let’s do all the stupidest things.” I really didn’t want to do this character, so when they told me I had to use him, I thought I should check out and see what they’ve done with him recently, The last thing they had him in was the Secret Society of Super-Villains book in the 1970s.

CLANCY: But it didn’t really matter, because you did a rebirth anyway.

STARLIN: Yeah. I scrapped the whole thing and started from scratch.

CLANCY: The way you handled it, I wouldn’t be surprised if they put him out more regularly.

STARLIN: The sales of the Rann-Thanagar Holy War (2008) weren’t all that great, so I don’t think you’ll see Captain Comet showing up anywhere soon.

Big Bang Starlin’s dynamic cover to Marvel Universe: The End #1 (May 2003), a six-issue miniseries he wrote and penciled (with Milgrom inks). © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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DEATH OF THE NEW GODS CLANCY: Death of the New Gods—how did that fall into place?

STARLIN: [DC executive editor] Dan DiDio approached me and said that they were gonna kill [the New Gods] off, that [Death of the New Gods] was gonna lead into a re-introduction into the New Gods.

There were certain things in there that were Grant Morrison’s idea, where he wanted the thing to go, that I put in—the whole thing of merging Apokolips and New Genesis again, like they did back in the John Byrne series, that was [Morrison’s] idea. So I went and accommodated throughout, and then he went off and did something that had nothing to do with anything he requested.

CLANCY: It would appear to the reader that you were sabotaged, because I remember reading at the same time your books were out that the New Gods were in a different story in another book.

STARLIN: This was not the first time he did it to me.

He did me in with Captain Comet, too. He was writing the Captain Comet sequence in 52 and we discussed how Captain Comet was gonna get blown up. We did the series and the book was out and then he wrote his story where Captain Comet was lobotomized and tied to the front of a spaceship—which was a nice idea, but it had nothing to do with what we talked about.

CLANCY: Did he apologize, or does he even know he’s

Starlin is Here!

doing it?

STARLIN: I have no idea, because I had no actual contact with him. I never met the man, but that was twice he sabotaged me. Once could be an accident, but twice it looks intentional.

CLANCY: You are familiar with the story I just mentioned, where the New Gods were also being published in another DC book at the time of Death of the New Gods…

STARLIN: Yes, I think it was in the Countdown series, wasn’t it? [Morrison] was asking for things and we put it in and we were working at trying to be professional.

And he just went off and did something completely different and never told anybody until it came out.

Dan DiDio actually called me up and apologized for it.

CLANCY: Am I the only one to point that out?

STARLIN: No, no, no. Everyone’s quite aware of it.

It has nothing to do with what was going on. I couldn’t help but hear feedback. I killed Orion at the end and disembodied him, and the next week he shows up in books alive. That’s what I’m saying. None of these present-day miniseries make sense anymore.

CLANCY: Let’s talk about the Thanos monthly you did for Marvel, starting in late 2003. You wrote and drew six issues, then Keith Giffen took over. Keith Giffen is a good writer, but I didn’t feel he was right for that book.

STARLIN: I like Keith. He just got stuck in the middle of that.

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Cover art to The Death of the New Gods #1 (left) and 8, from late 2007 and early 2008.

TM & © DC Comics.

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Getting Weird (left) The Weird (actually, the Weird Corps) hogs the cover to Starlin’s Strange Adventures #5 (Sept. 2009). (right) Jim continued his DC cosmic odyssey in the Rann-Thanagar Holy War miniseries.

TM & © DC Comics.

© 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

CLANCY: I just feel that he went off on a way different tangent than you would have. Was that because there was a lack of plot that you didn’t leave behind, or was he given one to go and instead created his whole scenario?

His Thanos had nothing to do with what you did, and it read like two different series.

STARLIN: I started doing the Thanos series (left) after the End of the Marvel Universe story, and Thanos shot up there in sales. Only Spider-Man and X-Men were outselling Thanos. Then we were finishing off the sixth issue and I suggested that we do a Warlock series.

They said, “No, you can’t use Warlock, and, in fact, you can’t use him in Thanos anymore because we are pulling him out to do ‘his own thing.’” I suggested that they let me do “his own thing.” They said, “No, we’re giving it to someone else.” I said I was gonna think about this over the weekend, and over the weekend I said, “You know, this is not good. I mean, you know I’m doing a really good-selling book for you right now.”

CLANCY: Who was the editor?

STARLIN: Tom Brevoort. He had a whole slew of assistant editors I was working with. I called up Monday and I said, “You know, this is not cutting it. You’re

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pulling this character [Warlock] out of this book that is selling very well. I know you guys do things differently than when we did it back then, but this is not right.”

I can’t remember which assistant editor it was, but he said, “Well, if you don’t like it you can quit.” And I said, “That’s a really good idea.” And that was the end of it.

CLANCY: No apology?

STARLIN: No. And, in fact, they have huffed and puffed and said that I acted outrageously. On my website I put, “Good luck, Keith Giffen!” [laughter] That was about the only getting-it-out-of-my-system thing I think I really did. I didn’t write any letters or anything like that.

CLANCY: I liked Keith Giffen’s Marvel work in the past, and he did do a great series called Annihilation, but I don’t think Thanos was his cup of tea.

STARLIN: Actually, Marvel was trying to get me back on board and they sent me [Annihilation] to read, and I actually thought those were very nicely done.

Going back to The Death of the New Gods—my revelation at the end was that it was the Forever Man that was the killer. Well, that was revealed in Birds of Prey just before. They showed him in full costume and there was no denying who it was. I found out about it because someone sent me a copy.

THE DEATH OF ROBIN CLANCY: One of your claims to fame was Batman, which you were writing in the late 1980s when you killed off Robin in a phone-in stunt. Was that something that the editors asked you to do, or did you bring it up to them?

STARLIN: Denny O’Neil was the editor, and he needed a fill-in issue and I wrote a fill-in Batman issue. I turned it in and he said he needed another one, “Can you do another one?” I just sort of starting doing Batman stories for him and after about the fifth one I said, “Hey, am I the regular writer on Batman now?” And he said, “I guess so.” We were into [the story arc] “Ten Nights of the Beast” at that point. I thought that the whole idea of [an adult hero] going off and fighting crime with a teenager is not the best idea, especially if you dress him up in primary colors while you’re running around in the shadows. That’s just plain cowardly.

CLANCY: Was it the original Robin [Dick Grayson] when wrote Batman, or did you switch them?

STARLIN: This was the second Robin [Jason Todd].

Dick Grayson had already gone off and become Nightwing.

I tried to avoid using [Robin] as much as I could.

In most of my early Batman stories, he doesn’t appear.

Eventually, Denny asked me to do a specific Robin story, which I did, and I guess it went over fairly well from what I understand. But I wasn’t crazy about Robin.

At one point, DC wanted to do an AIDS story in one of their comics. They put a suggestion box up in the office for whichever character they thought should get AIDS. I stuffed the box with Robin. Jimmy Olsen ended up winning the thing, but they couldn’t use him because the guy playing Jimmy Olsen in the [Superman] movies was gay. They just abandoned the whole idea, but I was saying we should get rid of Robin almost right from the start.

Then Denny came up with the idea of the phone-in thing [Editor’s note: See the related article in this issue], because the technology for that sort of thing had just popped up. DC said, “Okay, let’s do that,” and we planned out the four issues, and I wrote up a script that had two endings to it. The first book comes out, and Denny is everywhere. He’s on all the morning talk shows, and he’s saying how he decided this and he decided that, and that was fine because that was the editor’s job.

I didn’t think anything of it, but the book finally comes out and [the majority] voted for Robin to die.

CLANCY: Was that a surprise?

STARLIN: I always figured it was gonna happen, because I really didn’t do any work beyond the alternate two-page ending. [laughter] I just figured I knew what the fans wanted, and I was hanging out in Mexico.

CLANCY: You didn’t try to rig the phone-in? [laughs] STARLIN: No, no. I didn’t even call in once. The book had come out and the sales did well, but then DC’s merchandising [department] pointed out that they had all this underwear and lunchboxes with Robin on it and suddenly—this thing was all Jim Starlin’s fault! [laughter] Denny went out and said that he had nothing to do with it. “This is Starlin’s fault.” Suddenly I was persona non grata. I was working on Gilgamesh, and they suddenly wanted that thing in and it was something I had agreed to work on. Whenever I got to it. Suddenly it had a set-in-stone deadline. The work I was doing on the New Gods I had to leave so I could get this thing done.

They had to put Batman in someone else’s hands.

So that was the end of my time at DC. Killing off Robin was probably the worst career move I had ever made.

CLANCY: Well, it’s famous.

STARLIN: Later on, the guy who took over Batman from me thanked me tremendously because I had kicked the book so high in sales that he was able to buy [from royalties] a castle in Scotland.

CLANCY: How come you never penciled Batman?

Was it because Jim Aparo had always been expected to draw him?

STARLIN: No—I had done a Batman years ago [in Detective Comics #481, Dec. 1978–Jan. 1979] and I just wanted to write at that point, and I was still doing some novels and I was spending a lot of time in Mexico just hanging out. [Writing Batman] was something I could do easily and ship it in. I was going to draw Cosmic Odyssey, but Mexico called and so Mike Mignola got onto that one, of which I was glad.

He did a real nice job on it.

“A Death in the Family” Mike Mignola’s cover for Book Two of writer Jim Starlin’s 1988 Batman story arc, “A Death in the Family.” For the full details on this landmark tale, see page 67.

TM & © DC Comics.

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INFINITY GAUNTLET CLANCY: Switching back to Marvel—when you did the Infinity Gauntlet three-volume series [Infinity Gauntlet in 1991, Infinity War in 1992, and Infinity Crusade in 1993], did you know how big a hit you had?

STARLIN: Silver Surfer was doing well, and I had been brought back to write that. That just led into the Infinity Gauntlet series, and the storyline just kept growing and growing.

CLANCY: Did they ask you to do it or did you approach them?

STARLIN: I probably said, “Let’s do another one.”

We got a lot of editorial resistance. The other editors didn’t like the books at all. [Executive editor] Mark Gruenwald in particular was very adamant that [Marvel] shouldn’t be allowing me to do one of these books every year, even though they were selling really well. In fact, the last one, Infinity Crusade, they hid the fact from Mark that they were printing it! [laughter] They made up a “future projects list” that went around to the editors and made a point of it to remove [Infinity Crusade] from his copy. I didn’t know this so one day I came into the office and [Gruenwald] went, “What are you doing these days now that you’re not doing these [Infinity] things?” And I went, “Well … I’ll find something.” Then I went, “What is he talking about?” Then Ralph Macchio explained to me that they were hiding the fact that book was coming out.

I thought it was hilarious.

CLANCY: It was always my contention that Silver Surfer #50 (June 1991) was what kicked off the foil-cover gimmick frenzy. Do you remember that raised-foil cover?

STARLIN: I think there had been a couple of others out there first, on X-Men. CLANCY: Issue #50 was also the issue where the Surfer tried to come to terms with the killing of the people on the planets he had provided to Galactus.

STARLIN: Yeah … they’d never touched on the fact that he aided and abetted a mass-murderer before.

CLANCY: And then you brought back Warlock…

STARLIN: Well, actually, there was another writer who was gonna bring him back, and I freaked out when I heard it.

That’s when I brought him into the Infinity Gauntlet series.

I couldn’t imagine anyone else handling him the way I would. I enjoyed it, but if I had to do over again I wouldn’t have brought him back.

CLANCY: Was there a lot of pressure to bring Captain Marvel back?

STARLIN: No. For the longest time, when Jim Shooter was the editor-in-chief, he said, “We’re never gonna bring him back.” That was a good story and the Death of Captain Marvel graphic novel was still selling. It was only after my blowout with [later editor-in-chief] Joe Quesada that they decided to bring him back.

CLANCY: They tried to have Mar-Vell’s son Legacy take over the role.

STARLIN: That was something Marvel pushed on Ron Marz.

CLANCY: Do you keep in touch with Ron? STARLIN: Yes. He lives about an hour north of me, and we don’t see each as much as we used to but we still chat occasionally. Actually, he’s the one who set me up to do the book on my art with Desperado.

To Infinity and Beyond! (opposite) A Starlin/Milgrom 2005 commission colored by its contributor, Derek Muthart. (right) Starlin’s Infinity Gauntlet poster from 1991.

Characters © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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Recommended Reading Starlin’s illustrated biography, A Life in Words and Pictures, is available in softcover and hardcover editions. © Jim Starlin.

© 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

COSMIC AWARENESS AND DEATH CLANCY: How did the concept of Captain Marvel being “cosmically aware” occur to you?

STARLIN: The thought came from trying to expand out your senses through martial arts and drugs, being able to perceive something that nobody else can, and that’s basically where the cosmic awareness thing comes from.

CLANCY: Did the editors at Marvel even understand this cosmicawareness thing?

STARLIN: They just printed it. I think Roy liked me and he knew I was good on deadlines, so he’d leave me alone. Later on, when I did the Warlock story [lampooning] the editors—the clowns issue [Strange Tales #181, Aug. 1975]—people I really slammed like Len and Marv didn’t say anything. They loved the story, but Roy was the only one who got hurt [by it], and Roy was the one I handled the most sympathetically.

I don’t know how much of a handle Roy had on what I was doing.

He always wanted me to go off and do other things like Shang-Chi. CLANCY: What about the trail that Captain Marvel leaves behind when flying?

STARLIN: That was Roy’s idea. Roy wanted to do the Captain Atom thing. I’ll give him the credit for that one.

CLANCY: How did you and Al Milgrom come up with the signature “Gemini”?

STARLIN: Al came up with it, and it stands for “Jim and I.” CLANCY: Have you ever inked Al’s work?

STARLIN: No … I don’t think I have.

CLANCY: How did you come up with the idea of Thanos?

STARLIN: After I got out of the service I took some community-college classes, and among them was a psychology course. I was exposed to Thanos and Eros, and the New Gods were out at that time. I have to tell you that Thanos was inspired by the New Gods, but not who you think it was. Thanos was going to originally be a rip-off of Metron. He had the chair and everything when I brought it into the Marvel office when we were doing Iron Man. Roy [Thomas] kind of looked at it and said, “Why don’t we bulk him up and get 46 • BACK ISSUE • Dead Heroes Issue

rid of the chair?” And so we bulked him up, and as the issues went on he kept getting bigger and bigger, and so everyone thought he was a Darkseid rip-off when in reality he was a Metron rip-off.

CLANCY: So the Thanos name you got from a college course.

You liked it the first time you heard it and always figured you’d find a place for it?

STARLIN: I came up to the office with a few sketches of Thanos and Eros and Mentor. I had that whole Titan thing sorted out. I had the designs, but not the story.

CLANCY: Was Moondragon a throw-in?

STARLIN: Moondragon was originally a character called Madame MacEvil from Iron Man. I didn’t come up with the name Moondragon and whatever I did with her was what I did with her. She was a telepath that fought Iron Man originally.

CLANCY: The theme for Thanos has always been “death.” Was death always something you were fascinated by? Thanos in Greek mythology was never a death worshipper, was he?

STARLIN: No … Thanos was just the dark side of humanity. There was a Thanatos in Greek mythology, but I don’t think it was like Zeus or anything—more like a Pluto. [Editor’s note: Thanatos was a demon personification of death in Greek mythology.] I had more of an association with Thanos from a Greek restaurant in New York City called Thanatos.

CLANCY: It was always a name you liked?

STARLIN: Yeah—if you wanted to eat at a place called “death.” [laughter] Norman Mailer always said that every true story ends in death. These guys were playing around at being superheroes and when you do that, people are going to get hurt or killed. I always had more of a fascination with putting a real slant on [my stories] than comics in general did.

SHAUN CLANCY started collecting comics in 1975 at the age of eight, when his father brought home a Charlton horror comic for him to read. Soon his mother gave him older comics with their logos cut off from a used bookstore. Today Shaun owns a heating and air-conditioning company in the Seattle area, and allows his three-year-old son Cole to rip and fold new comics and throw them across the house. “I cannot find a better use for today’s comics,” he jokes.

by

Adam Besenyodi

When writer/artist Frank Miller and editor Denny O’Neil joined inker Klaus Janson on Daredevil in 1980, the title shifted from colorfully clad villains and guest stars to a grittier take on the character’s world. This raised the book up from the depths of Marvel’s second tier and set the table for the emotionally rich stories which followed with the introduction of Matt (Daredevil) Murdock’s original love.

Elektra Natchios arrived fully formed in the Marvel Universe on the pages of Daredevil in late 1980.

Miller offered no typical backstory or origin tale, just a bounty hunter in search of a murder witness being protected by the underworld. But over the course of the next 24 months, Elektra would be revealed as a skilled ninja assassin and Murdock’s first love, his “girl.”

She would die a violent death, one without mercy.

And she would be resurrected. Even though she wasn’t initially around for very long, her impact still felt important and epic, like it mattered.

The First Cut is the Deepest Detail from the page 8 splash of the miniseries Elektra: Assassin issue #8 (Mar. 1987), painted by Bill Sienkiewicz.

Courtesy of Kelvin Mao. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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Making Her Mark (right) The cover to Daredevil #168 (Jan. 1981) misspelled the new character’s name. (below) Elektra displays her proficiency on this original-art page from DD #175 (Oct. 1981).

Script and breakdowns

by Frank Miller, finishes

by Klaus Janson. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

TANGLED ROOTS Though her name was oddly misspelled on the cover of her debut appearance as “Elecktra”—O’Neil jokingly suspects “the editor needed an editor”—there are no missteps. Elektra emerges just four pages into Daredevil #168 (Jan. 1981), perched on a guywire and unnoticed

by Daredevil below. She is accompanied by four thought balloons—the one and only time over her 13-issue arc from introduction to death to resurrection that we are given direct access to her thoughts. It’s what O’Neil refers to as “pure comic-book storytelling.” It’s an approach that could end up a hindrance in another writer’s hands, but in Miller’s it’s a subtle technique to get the reader to invest in the character.

Turn the page, and the butt of Elektra’s sai, a trident-like dagger, is knocking Daredevil into nearunconsciousness as the assassin attempts to procure the same information Daredevil was after moments before. Hearing her voice before blacking out, Daredevil exclaims, “That voice—Elektra?!”

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Although we are never given a straightforward origin tale for Elektra in these early appearances, Miller does spend the next seven pages chronicling the year-long love story between Murdock, the pre–Daredevil Columbia law student, and Elektra, the Greek ambassador’s daughter-cum-political science student, and their relationship’s tragic end.

En route to meeting Elektra for her birthday, Murdock learns that terrorists have taken hostages in the administration building. Realizing his girl and her diplomat father are the likely targets, Murdock dons a red scarf originally intended as a birthday gift as his disguise and incapacitates the hostage takers with Elektra’s help, but a miscalculation sends one of the attackers out of an upper-floor window.

Unfortunately, the cops misinterpret the terrorist’s fall as a hostage execution. Determined to take out the next terrorist in sight, a police sniper puts three bullets in Elektra’s father when he stands in front of a window.

Bridging the death scene and the graveside images are two closeup panels that show us that Elektra has changed.

We are told “she never cries” over the loss of her father.

But the seeds of the future assassin are planted.

In Greek mythology, Electra is the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra. She encourages her brother, Orestes, to avenge the murder of their father. She also lends her name to modern psychology’s theory that a daughter develops a sexual attachment to her father, called the Electra complex. In a November 1981 interview with Peter Sanderson for FantaCo’s Chronicles Series #3, “The Daredevil Chronicles,” Miller confessed that Elektra “was designed around her name,” drawing a straight line from daddy issues to the pages of Daredevil.

Miller explicitly laid out what is so delicately nuanced on the pages of the comic when he explained that Elektra “was a young woman who

had her sexual interest centered on her father, and just as she was transferring this to another man, her father is killed.” That sexual interest is not necessarily physical, but psychosexual.

The backstory ends with an emotionally damaged Elektra leaving Murdock to return to Europe, and Daredevil in the present day coming to alone on the ground in a pouring rain. We learn she bandaged his hurt shoulder before fleeing the scene, and Daredevil tells us the first woman he ever loved couldn’t survive without a purpose.

Later, we see the “ruthless bounty hunter” defeat a trio of nunchuck-, chain-, and knife-wielding attackers with the subtlest hint of a smile on her lips and a swaggering “Next?” when she’s done. She’s ultimately subdued and Daredevil saves her, employing the same unique instructions as all those years earlier against the terrorists at college. In the aftermath, they kiss, and as Daredevil walks away, leaving her in the rain, Elektra is finally able to cry.

That was the last we would see of Elektra in the Marvel Universe until six months and five issues later, except for a single-page appearance in the subsequent issue (#169, Mar. 1981) which further establishes Elektra’s emotional disturbance. She breaks into Murdock’s brownstone and, finding an inscribed tchotchke from his current girlfriend Heather Glenn, she shatters it against the wall.

Though Elektra is visually based on Lisa Lyon, who became the first female bodybuilding champion in 1979, Miller clarified in the Sanderson interview that she “doesn’t have Lisa Lyon’s skeleton, she’s larger, but she does have the detail of a body builder.” Physically provocative, dark-haired, and brown-eyed, Elektra is overtly sexual, dressed in crimson and showing a lot of exposed skin. The red scarf she wears on her head suggests a tangible link to Murdock and the day her father died.

INVESTING IN A KILLER

Stretching from Daredevil

Just as Elektra was returning to the pages of Daredevil, she could also be found in a ten-page stand-alone tale in the black-and-white comics magazine Bizarre Adventures #28 (Oct. 1981). This window into what makes Elektra tick was written and illustrated by Miller (and edited

by O’Neil) in what he referred to as “an exercise in short-hand” in a 1982 interview with Dwight R. Decker for The Comics Journal. It’s a story that could have taken place virtually any time before or between her appearances in the Daredevil ongoing, and cracks open the door on this complex character just a little bit further.

Elektra is hired by von Eisenbluth to eliminate a would-be assassin. When her path crosses with the man she is contracted to murder, Elektra learns that her employer might be a Nazi war criminal. How she reacts helps further define who she is to the reader. When she ultimately makes the decision to kill her employer after confirming his past sins, is it outrage at von Eisenbluth’s hubris or disgust at her own moral fortitude interfering with her mercenary aspirations that we see in her eyes? “If a woman character is tough and assertive, you’re castigated for portraying women as too tough,” Miller told Decker. Conversely, “if you do a Heather Glenn or a Sue Storm, you’re castigated for perpetuating Dead Heroes Issue

(left) Bodybuilder Lisa Lyon, upon whom Miller based Elektra’s look. (above) Cover of the B&W magazine Bizarre Adventures #28 (Oct. 1981), featuring an Elektra solo tale. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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a stereotype.” Miller is “testing just how bad she can be the same way she tests how good Daredevil is” on the pages of his book, and challenging the reader to care for the character.

In the early ’80s, O’Neil and Mike W. Barr went with Miller to see Chuck Norris’ movie The Octagon (1980), which prominently featured sai, and around this same time O’Neil and Miller began taking tai chi classes together. Perhaps not so coincidentally, the Eastern mysticism and martial-arts aspect of the book is amped up with the full integration of the Hand and Stick into their collective legend. Miller expands and further connects the mythos of Daredevil and Elektra over the next few months in the former’s book, beginning with a nice three-issue arc that kicks off in Daredevil #174 (Sept. 1981).

We learn in the prologue of issue #174 that when Elektra walked out on Murdock after the death of her father, she studied with the Hand, an order of master assassin ninjas, before defying the band and earning herself a death mark.

Elektra’s conflict of conscience continues as the Hand is contracted

by Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime in New York City, to eliminate a continually evolving (and convoluted) roster of marks.

Again, the reader is forced to invest in this mysterious woman because her eyes are the only window into her mind in the absence of thought balloons. The ambiguity plays to the character’s advantage, because while she clearly blames Murdock for the death of her father, it is less clear how exactly he is culpable given what we saw in that original flashback. That conflict manifests in Elektra’s reluctance and repulsion as she repeatedly saves Daredevil/Murdock. “Her problem is not that she’s a good girl gone bad,” Miller told Sanderson, “it’s that she’s one of the villains who’s got a weak streak in them.” In those first three pages of #174 we see three very different, very effective emotions flash across Elektra’s face: anger at a $50,000 bounty being stolen out from under her, surprise at learning Murdock is the Hand’s next target, and resignation at the realization she’s not strong enough to walk away from saving Murdock.

Miller’s storytelling reveals parallels and foreshadowing over the next three issues. Elektra saves Daredevil from the Hand assassins without his knowledge just as Daredevil repeatedly

Assassins Everywhere! (left) Around the same time as the 1980 Chuck Norris action flick The Octagon was in theaters, Frank Miller employed elements similar to the movie’s in Daredevil. (right) Cover to DD #174 (Sept. 1981).

Octagon © 1980 American Cinema Productions. Daredevil © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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saves Murdock’s unsuspecting law partner Franklin “Foggy” Nelson from the Hand assassins later. The immortal killer employed by the Hand and revealed in issue #175 (Oct. 1981), Kirigi, plays a key role in setting the stage for what is to come.

After being run through by both of Elektra’s sai and then by his own sword, Kirigi stumbles away, seemingly defeated and near death. But issue #176 (Nov. 1981) reveals he has healed himself through meditation and “life-giving substances,” establishing the plausibility of what is to follow for the heroine/villainess and her journey back from death.

Over the next couple of issues, Elektra is courted—and hired—

by Kingpin. She ends up in a six-page battle with Daredevil in issue #179 (Feb. 1982), which begins with her knocking him through a third-story window and ends with him pinned beneath a brick wall and his leg caught in a bear trap. “With the bear trap there was some pretty vicious symbolism going on there,” Miller explained to Sanderson, “and that was meant just to be a horrible sequence.”

Ruthless and brutal, Elektra appears to have put aside any inner conflict around her feelings for Murdock. While Daredevil pulls his punches and attacks half-heartedly, Elektra responds without mercy.

Miller was “trying to capsulize [sic] their whole relationship” in the sequence and “wasn’t trying for fun stuff in those scenes.” The result is a pitch-perfect emotional setup for what follows.

A REMORSELESS DEATH Daredevil has taken Kingpin’s political puppet down, and for that “someone must die.” On the final page of Daredevil #180 (Mar. 1982), Kingpin contracts Elektra to eliminate Foggy as retribution.

In Daredevil #181 (Apr. 1982), “Last Hand,” told entirely from master assassin Bullseye’s point of view, we are witnesses to Elektra’s merciless death at Bullseye’s hand. Only through a wire planted on Foggy is the reader granted any soft emotion in this issue: his shock and confusion at being Elektra’s target, and her humiliation at letting her mark go after he identifies her as “Matt’s girl.”

As Foggy leaves the scene, Bullseye reveals himself, and the subsequent battle between assassins is epic and brutal. Elektra’s death might be the most iconic violent killing in mainstream comics,

with Bullseye slicing her jugular before running her through so viciously with her own sai that she is lifted off her feet.

Bullseye trails Elektra as she staggers to the steps of Murdock’s Hell’s Kitchen brownstone and watches her die in Murdock’s arms barely twothirds of the way through the double-sized issue.

And because we are committed to Bullseye’s point of view, we are never given the opportunity to grieve in this issue, or to see Murdock/Daredevil grieve. Only in the revenge battle between Daredevil and Bullseye do we truly see the fire in Daredevil over his lover’s death.

While there is no release in issue #181 for the reader, Miller does provide some consolation with a direct callback to a year earlier in the book when Daredevil was faced with the choice of saving Bullseye or letting him fall to his doom. In the wake of his lover’s death, Daredevil is far less charitable.

It’s no surprise, then, to find an Elektra-obsessed Murdock in Daredevil #182 (May 1982). Wrought with emotion, “She’s Alive” stands in stark contrast to the cold tale of the previous issue. Cathartic for both the character and the reader, Daredevil’s rage manifests itself in the way he unloads on thugs and lowlifes with disregard. Fueled by his disbelief that his first love is gone, Murdock is obsessed with proving Elektra is still alive—or, at least, not dead.

And we realize just how compartmentalized Murdock’s life is when he absently mentions Elektra in front of his girlfriend Heather, who had no idea Elektra even existed until that moment. Later, we find a crazed Murdock exhuming Elektra’s body, prying open the coffin with his bare hands, confirming once and for all that she is in there and she is dead.

Murdock’s disbelief is ours.

THE PASSION OF ELEKTRA

The Death of Elektra

With Elektra gone from the Marvel Universe seemingly as quickly as she arrived, fans cried on the letters pages of Daredevil for more. Five months later, in October 1982 (cover date), Miller teased the fans with a 16-page feature story in What If? #35 titled “What If Bullseye Had Not Killed Elektra?” In this reality, according to the Watcher, “Elektra’s corruption was not so complete that she could entirely deny her past … or her love for you [Murdock].”

Kingpin turns his assassins on Elektra and she flees to Murdock’s brownstone, where he tends to her wounds and they make the decision to flee New York and begin a new life “half a world away.”

While Miller might have always planned to kill Elektra, he had not shared any intention to resurrect her, at least not with his editor. O’Neil thought Elektra was dead and gone for good, but Miller came to him and said he wanted to bring her back. O’Neil felt that “from a commercial standpoint, it would have been folly for me to say no. And from an artistic standpoint, I wanted to see if

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(left) Cover to the double-sized Daredevil #181 (Apr. 1982), featuring a story told by Miller via Bullseye’s perspective. (above) The shocking execution of Elektra, from that issue. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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The Rebirth of Elektra (below) Detail from the Miller/Janson cover to Daredevil #190 (Jan. 1983), the issue in which Elektra is reborn and purified, and symbolically clad in white (right). © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

he could do it!” So began the work to bring Elektra back.

Building off of Kirigi’s restoration in issue #176, Daredevil #189 (Dec. 1982) further hints at what is to come when Murdock witnesses his old master Stick and their ally Stone resurrect Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. At issue’s close, Stick is dead, and Stone informs Daredevil and Black Widow that he has figured out what the Hand is up to: “They seek a single champion” because Kirigi was destroyed, and intend to raise Elektra from the dead to fill that role.

Daredevil #190 (Jan. 1983) is a double-sized affair and opens with a 13-page prologue in which post– Columbia, pre–assassin Elektra studied under a sensei in Japan before undertaking the journey we find her on now—one to move past Murdock, her father’s murder, and her old life. While scaling a sheer ice cliff, she loses her grip and plummets to the earth below where she is found, taken in, and trained by Stick’s order.

Though Stick takes on a surrogate-father role in Elektra’s life, the relationship ends abruptly when he

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kicks her out of the order because she “ain’t clean,” and she’s “full of pain—and hate,” more liability than asset in the coming war against the Hand.

Living up to her namesake, Elektra returns to Japan, where she swears to bring the Hand down from the inside to prove her worth to Stick. Her first test upon infiltrating the Hand is to kill an unknown opponent who attacks her with sai in shadow. Only after succeeding does Elektra learn she has been tricked into slaying her own drugged sensei.

At the cemetery where Elektra is buried in present-day New York City, Daredevil, Stone, and Black Widow fail to stop the Hand from exhuming the body, and Daredevil strikes a deal with the Kingpin to learn where the Hand is performing the resurrection—appropriately enough for both the issue’s theme and the Catholic title character, an abandoned church.

The heroes disrupt the ceremony and engage the Hand in battle over the dead woman’s body like God and the Devil over all of mankind. Stone sets the church ablaze in an attempt to turn the tide and allow cover to destroy Elektra’s body once and for all—saving her from being brought back to life under wicked intent. During the chaos, Daredevil senses a heartbeat from his lost love and, betraying the mission, unsuccessfully attempts to resurrect Elektra, weakening himself in the process.

The battle is nearly lost before the Kingpin’s men arrive, fight back the Hand, and help the Widow and Daredevil out of the burning church. This offers Stone an opportunity to behead Elektra, but his hand is stayed when he realizes that Murdock’s “futile attempt to revive her … has purged her. She is clean….”

Outside, Daredevil and Natasha realize that Stone is still inside the building and rush back in to find Stone’s robes but no body, and Elektra’s body gone as well.

We jump then to the view of a parka-clad climber scaling the same ice-cliff face from the prologue. This time, however, when the climber is about to fall, she keeps her poise on the mountain and makes it to the peak. Standing triumphantly at the summit, the climber first pulls away her hood and then casts off the whole jacket to reveal Elektra, very much alive and dressed in white.

The genius of Miller’s execution of the story is having Daredevil purge the evil in Elektra, thereby giving the reader permission to believe in the character by restoring her purity. We understand the Hand’s resurrection would have left Elektra unclean, and Murdock’s sacrifice is the currency for her soul. It enables her to move from darkness to light, literally (from death to life) and symbolically (from the red costume she had worn since becoming an assassin to the white costume we see in on the final page of issue #190). Daredevil is left to believe Stone took Elektra and destroyed her body. We are told “he must never know,” but we know.

A BRONZE AGE CODA While Miller would go on to further explore the character of Elektra in works like Elektra: Assassin (1986) and Elektra Lives Again (1991), they are largely stand-alone pieces with debatable continuity. Similar to Bizarre Adventures #28, Elektra: Assassin could have taken place at virtually any point in the character’s history. It provides a small, dubious glimpse into Elektra’s childhood, but the focus is on an extremely stylized tale that amounts to more political commentary than the familiar mix of noir and Eastern mysticism seen in Daredevil.

In Elektra Lives Again, we see Murdock dealing with the loss of Elektra—he is still not aware that her resurrection was a success, let alone because of his efforts that purged the evil from her. Although this original graphic novel on Marvel’s Epic imprint might not be canon, it reinforces the importance of the character on Murdock’s life despite her absence from it.

At the time of her introduction, Elektra was a reflection of Daredevil, the embodiment of his demons. She arrived without warning, casting an indelible impression on the New York landscape. Although her vicious death was portrayed almost completely without emotion after only a short time in the universe, it never felt easy or unearned.

Frank Miller created a singular, empowered female character in the anti-hero mold that was still new in comic-book culture at the time that resonated with fans.

“I worked on giving her a personality, a weapon, and a means of fighting that would make it believable,” Miller told Decker, “that someone who isn’t as physically powerful as Daredevil could function in his kind of situation.” In the process, Miller’s Elektra gave the medium’s evolution a kick to the head. Two decades later we find comics a fully realized, respectable contributor to the pop-culture vernacular and Elektra’s saga as much a part of that legacy as any other event.

Elektra Lives Again (left) Bill Sienkiewicz Elektra sketch, courtesy of Anthony Snyder. (right) A 1991 Elektra painting by Dan Brereton. Courtesy of Heritage. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

ADAM BESENYODI is a freelance writer and editor. He is the author of the book Deus ex Comica: The Rebirth of a Comic Book Fan, and the writer of Exo-1 and RockSolid Steelbots (coming from Action Lab Entertainment). This is his first article for BACK ISSUE.

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by

Brett Weiss

Barry “the Flash” Allen died in 1985, in a story called “A Flash of the Lightning” appearing in issue #8 of the popular, game-changing mega-series, Crisis on Infinite Earths (Apr. 1985–Mar. 1986). He died a hero’s death back when death in the comics actually meant something, back when fans still mourned such long-dead characters as Bucky Barnes and Gwen Stacy.

Before delving further into the famous death of Barry Allen, it behooves me to first discuss his even more famous birth (or at least his first appearance), which occurred in the now-classic Showcase #4 (Oct. 1956), in a story titled “Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!”

THE BIRTH Emblazoned with an iconic cover penciled by Carmine Infantino and inked by Joe Kubert, in which Flash is running from frame to frame through and then bursting out of a strip of film, Showcase #4 introduced Barry as a police scientist on his lunch break, flipping through an old issue of Flash Comics, which starred the original Flash, Jay Garrick. (Barry has since been described as a comics fan several times, including in the 1997 graphic novel The Life Story of The Flash and in 2010’s The Flash Secret Files and Origins #1.)

Barry returns to his work station shortly after lunch, and, as luck and coincidence would have it, a bolt of lightning streaks in through a nearby window, dousing him with chemicals, giving him super-speed. Inspired by the original Flash, Barry quickly designs a costume and gets about the business of fighting crime (this was long before deconstructionism, decompressed storytelling, and the advent of the reluctant hero).

Barry’s first foe was the Turtle, who was known as “the Slowest Man on Earth.” During the Silver Age of Comics, entertaining as many of the stories were,

The Last Mile Detail from the cover of The Flash #331 (Mar. 1984); art by Carmine Infantino and Dick Giordano. At this time, the series was on its last leg, with Crisis on Infinite Earths and cancellation looming.

TM & © DC Comics.

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Beginning a Long Run (left) Barry Allen zipped onto the scene in the classic Showcase #4 (Oct. 1956), from editor Julius Schwartz.

Cover by Infantino and Joe Kubert. (right) The Silver Age Flash “#1” resumed the Golden Age series’ numbering.

Cover by Infantino and Joe Giella.

TM & © DC Comics.

this was the type of thing that passed for irony (along with such contrivances as Lois Lane loving Superman, but not Clark Kent).

“Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!” was written

by Robert Kanigher, with art by Infantino and Kubert.

The backup feature was a John Broome story called “The Man Who Broke the Time Barrier,” also illustrated

by Infantino and Kubert.

Despite its now-dated use of sheer coincidence as a literary device, Showcase #4 is one of the most important comic books in the history of the medium, helping kick-start the Silver Age. Not only that, it brought to life one of DC’s most endearing and, despite his eventual death, most enduring heroes.

In his autobiography, Man of Two Worlds (Harper Collins, 2000), legendary editor Julius Schwartz recalled coming up with the idea for revamping the Golden Age heroes for a new audience. “The first three Showcases flopped,” Schwartz said, “and we were at an editorial meeting trying to decide what to do in number four when I suggested that we try to revive the Flash, who had died [figuratively speaking] with the demise of the other superhero titles (with the exception of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman).”

When asked by his coworkers, who were initially less than thrilled with the idea, why he thought a revived Flash could fly (metaphorically speaking, of course), Schwartz displayed his typical brilliance. “I pointed out

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that the average comic book reader started reading them at the age of eight and gave them up at the age of twelve,” Schwartz said. “And since more than four years had already passed, there was a whole new audience out there who really didn’t know that the Flash had flopped, and maybe they might give it a try.”

Editorial director Irwin Donenfeld wisely approved the project, and the rest is comic-book history. Flash appeared in three more issues of Showcase (#8, 13, and 14) and was given his own series in 1959. Instead of beginning with issue #1, as would be customary nowadays, the Silver Age Flash series began with #105 (Mar. 1959), picking up the numbering where the original Golden Age Flash series left off.

According to Schwartz, Donenfeld insisted on #105 as a starting point since readers would be more confident in the quality of a long-running title than they would an untried newbie (this was years before the days of collectors and speculators clamoring for #1 issues).

The Showcase comics starring the Flash sold extremely well, as did the fledgling new series, prompting Schwartz and company to update such classic characters as Green Lantern, Hawkman, and the Atom.

The Flash ran (so to speak) from issue #105 through its cancellation with issue #350 (Oct. 1985).

During his proverbial day in the sun, Barry (the Flash) Allen battled a variety of colorful rogues, worked his

day job as a police scientist, acted as chairman of the original Justice League (as seen in The Brave and the Bold #28, Mar. 1960), married his beloved Iris West, and in general lived the life of a noble, almost perfect superhero. His only flaw, it seemed, was his uncanny knack for always running late (again, more Silver Age irony).

The Flash #350 was a double-sized wrap-up to an infamously long storyline featuring Flash on trial for the murder of the Reverse-Flash (a.k.a. Professor Zoom). Written by Cary Bates, penciled by Carmine Infantino, and inked by Frank McLaughlin, the issue ends with Flash and Iris reconnecting in the 30th Century and living “happily ever after … for awhile.”

That cryptic dénouement foreshadowed the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, in which Flash, a mere month after the reunion with Iris, died saving the multiverse.

Like Superman, Green Lantern, and other Silver Age heroes of the DCU (DC Universe), Flash was a paragon of virtue, a whitebread hero with an interchangeable personality, a virtual Boy Scout in tights. His foes— which included such pranksters as Captain Cold, Mirror Master, and Captain Boomerang—robbed banks, knocked over jewelry stores, and committed other such relatively tame crimes. Their primary motive, it seemed, was the sheer fun of trying to outwit the Flash.

Despite some melodramatic stories by Robert Kanigher during the early 1970s such as issue #201 (Nov. 1970), in which Flash blames himself for the crippling of a boy, and despite the death of the supervillain the Top in issue #243 (Aug. 1976), most of the Julius Schwartz-edited Flash adventures were relatively lighthearted. The Flash was a fun, oftentimes ingenious, plot-driven comic book, but it wasn’t exactly Shakespearean in nature.

TROUBLE ON THE HORIZON Beginning with The Flash #270 (Feb. 1979), former Flash artist Ross Andru took over as editor, portending of darker things to come. The cover blurb on #270 claimed the following: “Starting with this issue—Flash’s life begins to change … and it will never be the same again!!”

Cary Bates, with whom I conversed with via email, was writing The Flash when Andru came on board. “Ross played a big part in the radical new direction and tone of the book,” Bates says. “Though I wasn’t privy to any discussions he had prior to being assigned the editorial reins, I got the feeling he had been told to ‘shake things up’ a bit.”

While Bates was intrigued with the notion of an extreme Flash makeover, the editorial transition wasn’t entirely seamless. “It took some doing on my part to adjust to his style of working (he insisted on even going over the panel breakdowns with me),” Bates says, “but because I could see we were venturing into some exciting and unexplored territory with the new approach, I thought it was worth the extra effort.”

In The Flash #275 (June 1979), in a story called “The Last Dance!,” darkness of a particularly nasty kind did

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Under My Thumb (left) Despite its whimsy, the blurb on the Rich Buckler/ Dick Giordano cover of Flash #270 (Feb. 1979) warned of impending doom. (below) Giordano’s cover to issue #275 hinted at the shock awaiting readers inside.

TM & © DC Comics.

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indeed reign down upon the Flash. Written by Bates, penciled by Alex Saviuk, and inked by Frank Chiaramonte, the issue finds Iris, dressed as Batgirl, and Barry, in his Flash costume (nudge, nudge, wink, wink), attending a masquerade party at an opulent mansion. Through a dramatic series of events, Barry is drugged, and Iris, who was just discussing having a baby with Barry, is murdered.

Bates doesn’t recall whether it was he or Andru who came up with the idea of offing Iris, but he’s certain that it was a key element in making the series seem more serious. “No offense to dear Iris,” Bates says, “but an event that traumatic couldn’t help but invigorate such a long-running book, and, as we know, her death was the seminal event that really spun the book off in totally different directions that would eventually culminate in [Flash’s murder] trial.”

Though Barry’s death was still years away, his life had definitely taken a turn for the worse.

The next few issues of The Flash feature Barry attacking four key members of the Justice League (and almost winning), threatening to retire from being a superhero, discovering that it was Reverse-Flash who killed Iris (by passing his vibrating hand through her skull and into her brain), and racing through time to “regain his own future.”

As a teenage Flash fan, I was especially enthralled with the notion of the Flash going up against the Justice League (The Flash #276–277, Aug.–Sept. 1979). After imploring his fellow Leaguers to bring Iris back from the dead (which, of course, they did not do), Flash went on a rampage, knocking Batman to the ground, vibrating through Wonder Woman’s thrown golden tiara, and, most impressively, to my impressionable young mind— charging feet-first toward Green Lantern (as readers were frequently reminded in those days, GL’s power beam was ineffective against anything yellow, such as Flash’s boots).

One of the most dramatic superhero moments of the era occurred during the cliffhanger ending to issue #276, with Flash raising a fist and defiantly proclaiming: “Justice League? That’s a laugh. This whole place is a farce—a lie! I’m going to rip this satellite to shreds— and not one of you is fast enough to stop me.” (To be fair, Flash had been drugged in a previous issue, and the substance was still coursing through his system, exacerbating his pain, confusion, and frustration.)

Indeed, the death of his beloved bride sent Barry into a downward spiral. Fortunately, thanks to his indomitable will and strength of character, he did manage to pull himself together. At the end of issue #284 (Apr. 1980), Barry, having calmed down considerably, visits Iris’ grave, exclaims that her “beautiful spirit” will be with him forever, and vows to get on with his life.

Thus, Friedrich Nietzsche’s oft-quoted maxim, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger,” did indeed apply to the Flash.

What if, however, the Flash was cast in the role of a killer?

Fleet of Foot and Plot (above) Ross Andru/Giordano original cover art for The Flash #284 (Apr. 1980). (right) Cary Bates and Julie Schwartz plot a Superman story. Screen capture from a 1978 video tour of DC Comics’ offices; courtesy of Robby Reed (www.dialbforblog.com).

TM & © DC Comics.

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THE FLASH—SPEED KILLS After Flash discovered that it was Reverse-Flash who murdered Iris, he sought revenge on his archnemesis, culminating in an epic battle (in issue #283, Mar. 1980) that left Reverse-Flash trapped in a nether-realm beyond the time stream. Reverse-Flash was abandoned there for four lonely years, but in issue #323 (July 1983), on the day Flash was to marry Fiona Webb, a Guardian of the Universe warned Barry that Reverse-Flash had escaped his otherworldly imprisonment.

This led to yet another titanic clash between a vengeful Flash and an increasingly insane ReverseFlash. The fight ended outside the chapel where Barry and Fiona were to be married. As Reverse-Flash was just about to drive his vibrating hand into the brain of Ms. Webb, Flash grabbed him from behind, inadvertently breaking his neck. Reverse-Flash was dead on the spot, starting another dark chapter in Flash’s life.

Bates doesn’t remember whose idea it was to have Flash kill Reverse-Flash, but he’s certain Ernie Colón, who was the editor on the book at the time, was thoroughly onboard with the idea. “Even more so than Ross,” Bates says, “Ernie was always up for pushing the envelope wherever possible. By today’s standards, having a superhero commit manslaughter on his wedding day might rate a few days of Internet chatter, but back then such a radical tone-shift in a mainstream DC book was pretty much unheard of.”

At the end of issue #325 (Sept. 1983), Flash was arrested for “manslaughter in connection with the death of Eobard Thawne, alias the Reverse-Flash.”

Subsequent issues found Fiona teetering on the brink of madness, a big goon named Big Sir beating Flash’s face to a pulp, Flash enduring the humiliation of almost being voted out of the Justice League, and Flash suffering through the aforementioned murder trial, which included the death of his first lawyer.

Many fans at the time disliked the trial saga, complaining that it dragged on far too long.

Surprisingly enough, Bates agrees. “The basic cogs of the trial storyline had already been set in motion when I was told by DC they’d be ending the book with issue #350 because Barry Allen was going to perish in the big Crisis crossover,” Bates says.

“Had that not been the case, the trial’s original plotline would have concluded at least five or six issues sooner, and its resolution would’ve sent the series off in a whole new direction.”

The trial in question was indeed lengthy and convoluted, but it did have its share of dramatic tension. It held me, a teenage reader, transfixed before its voluminous pages as I eagerly awaited each monthly installment. Issue #344 (Apr. 1985) was especially compelling. In addition to reprinting the origin of Kid Flash, the issue presented readers with a humdinger of a cliffhanger ending: Wally “Kid Flash” West on the stand, reluctantly admitting that—in his expert opinion—it was not necessary for Flash to use deadly force to stop Reverse-Flash.

Fortunately for the Scarlet Speedster (and for Flash fans), the Flash series ended on a positive note, with Barry being reunited in the future with a plausibly (at least in terms of comics) resurrected Iris. Long before such characters as Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Superman had returned from the grave, Iris, with more than a little help from her 25th-Century parents, had outfoxed the Grim Reaper.

Devilish Doppelgänger (left) Flash #324 (Aug. 1983) shocked readers by making its hero a murderer. (below) Detail from the three-panel cover of issue #328 (Dec. 1983). Both covers are penciled

by Carmine Infantino, with inks by (left) Rodin Rodriguez and (below) Murphy Anderson.

TM & © DC Comics.

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TM & © 2011 DC Comics.

The End is Near The Flash is found guilty of murder on page 1 of issue #349 (Sept. 1985). Script

by Cary Bates, art by Carmine Infantino and Frank McLaughlin.

Courtesy of Heritage. (inset) That penultimate issue’s gripping cover, by Infantino and Klaus Janson. (background) Detail from the final issue, Flash #350.

TM & © DC Comics.

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THE DEATH OF THE FLASH As the fates (and the editorial department at DC Comics) would have it, Barry and Iris enjoyed futuristic bliss for a very short time. The rumors were true: Flash was going to die.

According to Bates, the decision to kill the Flash came from on high. In an article entitled “The Final Flash Storyline,” published in the reprint volume, The Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told (1991) Bates wrote: “DC was in the process of reshaping its entire universe in order to streamline a half-century of convoluted continuity … a long list of DC’s established heroes and villains would never be the same … many of them would be revised. Reborn. Retired. And a few would be taking their final bows.”

Bates was referencing the aforementioned 12-issue extravaganza, Crisis on Infinite Earths, which was written

by Marv Wolfman, penciled by George Pérez, and inked

by Dick Giordano and Jerry Ordway. Crisis was named after a Gardner Fox-scripted story arc in the original Justice League of America comic book from the early 1960s, in which the Justice League of Earth-One teamed up with the Justice Society of Earth-Two. In his introduction to the collected edition of Crisis on Infinite Earths (1998), Wolfman said that it was his idea to simplify the DC Universe. “There were superheroes on each Earth,” Wolfman wrote, “and though old-time readers had no problem understanding DC continuity, it proved off-putting to new readers who suddenly discovered that there was not one but three Supermans, Wonder Womans, Batmans, etc.”

In Crisis, the Flash died in grand fashion, saving the universe by racing around the Anti-Monitor’s antimatter cannon, running against the flow of antimatter, forcing the energies back into the machine, destroying the massive construct in the process. This is just one gripping scene among many in Crisis, one of the most impactful comic-book stories ever told.

While it wasn’t the first limited series starring men and women in tights—Marvel beat DC to the punch with Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions (June–Aug. 1982) and Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars (May 1984–Apr. 1985)—Crisis did up the ante in terms of epic superhero storytelling.

I recently asked Wolfman about the impact of Crisis on Infinite Earths on the comic-book industry: “Crisis made possible all mega-sized events in comics.

The individual plot matters less here than the fact that huge company stories can be done.”

Since Wolfman was already an established writer when Crisis hit comic-book stores across the country, it had less influence on his career than it did on the industry itself. “Fortunately I had a number of successes before Crisis, with [Tomb of] Dracula, [The New Teen] Titans, Superman [in Action Comics], and others, so its success didn’t much affect me much,” Wolfman says. “But it is a book I love having done, and others still tell me is one of the best crossover maxiseries they’ve read.

That’s more important to me than anything else.”

Wolfman wasn’t thrilled with the idea of killing off Barry Allen, but the decision was out of his hands, so he tried to make the death as moving as possible. Fittingly, Wolfman left the door open for Barry’s potential return.

In the intro to the collected Crisis, Wolfman explained, “We always liked Barry, so when we were asked to kill him we planted a secret plot device in the story that could bring him back if someone wanted to.

Don’t look for it; you won’t find it—but if you corner

me at a convention, and if I’m in a good mood, I’ll tell you what it is.”

After the publication of that ambiguous comment, fans began peppering Wolfman with questions about the loophole for Flash being able to return someday.

After years of explaining it again and again, Wolfman says he will no longer directly answer questions about the secret plot device, referring people instead to the explanation given on his website (www.marvwolfman.com), which states: Much of the reason the people in charge didn’t care for Barry Allen was that he was considered dull. I felt if I could come up with a way of making him vital again while keeping him alive, then perhaps Barry would be given a second lease on life. I came up with the idea of Flash moving back through time, flashing into our dimension even as he was dying. So, thought I, what if Barry was plucked out of the time stream at one of those moments he appeared? What if that meant from this point on Barry knew that he was literally living on borrowed time, that at any moment the time stream could close in on him and take him to his inevitable death.

The Final Fate of the Flash Detail from the unforgettable cover of Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (Nov. 1985), illustrated by George Pérez.

Wolfman saw his idea for a potential rebirth of Barry as a way to make the character better connect with modern audiences:

TM & © DC Comics.

What would this mean to Barry? From now on the Fastest Man Alive would literally be running for his life. He knew he didn’t have much time left and believed (as Barry would) that he had to devote it to helping others. This meant Barry would become driven and desperate to help others with each passing tick of the clock.

I felt this new revitalized attitude might be enough to make the formerly dull police scientist into someone who now had to push himself as he never had to before. I was hoping that this would make the character interesting enough to live. This knowledge would haunt a man like Barry Allen and change him from an unassuming character into a driven hero. At least that was the plan!

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Cosmic Deadmill Barry Allen’s demise, from pages 22 and 23 of Crisis on Infinite Earths #8.

By Marv Wolfman, George Pérez, and Jerry Ordway.

TM & © DC Comics.

The death of the Flash rocked fandom and the comic-book industry in general, but the news media and the mainstream masses paid little attention.

In an interview published in Comic Book Marketplace #89 (Mar. 2002), George Pérez remarked on the fact that even though Flash was a more important character than Supergirl, his death was less of a news story.

“The weirdest part of it is the fact that all of the publicity went to Supergirl’s death,” Pérez said, “not only because Superman is so identifiable, but because there was a movie coming out with Supergirl.”

Interestingly, Supergirl’s death got more press within the fictional comic-book story as well. “When [Flash] died, at that point, nobody knew,” Pérez said.

“He died alone, unlike Supergirl who had this big, dramatic death and big funeral sequence almost immediately after her death. The Flash, for quite a while, no one knew that he was dead. And that was a little eerie.”

In addition to killing off the Flash and Supergirl, Crisis on Infinite Earths saw the demise of an assortment of second-stringers, including Aquagirl, Dove, the Crime

Syndicate of America, Lori Lemaris, the Losers, Mirror Master, and Starman, along with Wonder Woman and Earth-Two versions of Green Arrow, Huntress, and Robin.

Despite the high body count (not only were specific characters killed, entire worlds were destroyed), Crisis never devolved into a mindless bloodbath.

It was a detailed, highly engaging story where characters grew, made sacrifices, and worked together to save the universe.

By the time Crisis reached its midpoint, the series had gotten so complex that Pérez stepped in as co-plotter to help Wolfman keep track of the numerous plot points.

In the aforementioned Comic Book Marketplace interview, Pérez acknowledged his increased role in Crisis.

“Marv was being overwhelmed by aspects of the story [because] there was a lot to be juggled,” Pérez said.

There was one scene in which one character, I believe it was Harbinger, did something, and then, in the next script, she did the exact same thing. He repeated the whole sequence and no one noticed until I saw the plot.”

Crisis was indeed complicated, but it never seemed crass or convoluted. Supergirl supporters and Flash followers alike bemoaned the loss of their favorite characters, but most fans felt the heroes’ respective deaths were handled in a classy and even uplifting manner.

Flash’s death may have been handled respectfully, but it hit Cary Bates like the proverbial ton of bricks.

“It was a shock,” Bates says, “like hearing an old friend was terminal.”

When I asked Bates if he had read Crisis on Infinite Earths, he said, “I’m sure I must have, but because the part the series played in ending the Flash’s run (pun intended), understandably I’ve never been able to be objective about it as a reader.”

THE TENTATIVE RETURN OF BARRY ALLEN Alas, Barry didn’t return in the dramatic manner Marv Wolfman had in mind, but, luckily for fans of the Scarlet Speedster, death is usually not as final in comic books as it is in real life.

Prior to his true return, Barry teased fans by popping up in the DCU from time to time in various forms.

In Secret Origins Annual #2 (May 1988), Barry’s origin is reimagined in “Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt,” which is based on the original story from Showcase #4. Barry is working in his lab when lightning strikes and crashes through a nearby window.

Instead of immediately smashing the chemicals,

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the lightning bolt freezes in mid-air and communicates with Barry, giving him the option of staying normal or acquiring super-speed.

The story suggests that the lightning bolt is the essence of the deceased Barry, traveling back through time to meet with his younger self. Unfortunately for Barry, the offer of super-speed comes with strings attached. “If you do survive and gain super-speed,” the lightning bolt warns, “your life will be much shorter.”

Since Iris was in immediate peril at the time of the appearance of the lightning bolt, the decision by Barry of whether or not to acquire super-speed was a no-brainer.

The retold origin of Barry didn’t bring him back to the land of the living, but it did show that his spirit had somehow survived his death. In the five-issue 2001 miniseries Deadman: Dead Again, Deadman helps the Scarlet Speedster enter Heaven. In the Green Arrow “Quiver” storyline (Green Arrow #1–10, Apr. 2001–Jan. 2002), Barry Allen is depicted as actually being in Heaven.

Various other comics, however, indicate that Barry is alive and well within the Speed Force (the extra-dimensional realm where most speedsters get their powers), hanging out with such fellow fallen fast-runners as Max Mercury.

At the end of The Flash #224 (Sept. 2005), the Flash is seen traveling through time in pursuit of the Reverse-Flash.

The action continues into #225 (Oct. 2005), with Barry grabbing his hated arch-enemy, boarding the Cosmic Treadmill, and disappearing into the mists of time.

Prior to those transitory Barry sightings, DC tricked its loyal fans (but gave them a fascinating ride) with what many thought to be the true return of Barry Allen. In Flash vol. 2 #73 (Feb. 1993), on the last page of a masterful Christmas story written by Mark Waid, a Barry Allen lookalike suddenly appears, surprising the socks off Wally West (who, at the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths, assumed the costume and name of the

Flash), Linda Park (Wally’s girlfriend), Jay “Golden Age Flash” Garrick, and Joan Garrick (Jay’s wife).

The Barry wannabe appears to be disoriented upon returning to terra firma, and, over the course of the next few issues, becomes downright mean, leaving Wally in a death trap, swearing to destroy Central City, and beating Jay Garrick to a pulp. Many DC fans, still upset by the way Hal Jordan had gone rogue, were worried that Barry’s legacy would be tarnished by his behavior. Other fans figured something suspicious was going on and rightly suspected that the person wearing the Flash costume wasn’t Barry—that maybe it was Reverse-Flash. And, in Flash #78 (July 1993), that’s exactly what Wally discovers.

Despite these and other teases of Barry’s return from the dead (or the future, or Heaven, or the Speed Force, or however you want to look at it), the Silver Age speedster wasn’t truly welcomed back to the land of the living until Final Crisis (July 2008–Mar. 2009), a seven-issue series written by Grant Morrison and drawn by J. G. Jones, Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy, and Doug Mahnke.

Heavenly Heroes Barry Allen gives Oliver Queen a man-hug in the Great Beyond in Green Arrow #7 (Oct. 2001), by Kevin Smith, Phil Hester, and Ande Parks. (left) Flash #225 (Oct. 2005; cover by Howard Porter and John Livesay) resumes Barry’s struggle with the Reverse-Flash.

TM & © DC Comics.

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and a lead-in to (or “advertisement” for, as one reviewer put it) Final Crisis.

Detailing the entire plot of the overly complex Final Crisis would test the patience of many readers, so I won’t do that here. However, there were some key events in the series worth mentioning:

Never Say “Die” (right) While Barry Allen stayed dead for years, his legend lived on in stories such as the graphic novel The Life Story of the Flash (Dec. 1997). (above) Barry was on his way back in DC Universe #0 (June 2008).

Cover by Pérez.

TM & © DC Comics.

FINALLY, THE HONEST-TO-GOODNESS RETURN OF BARRY ALLEN Ever since Barry Allen died in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (Nov. 1985), fans had been clamoring for his return. At virtually every DC panel at almost every major comic-book convention I’d attended since 1986, at least one fan in the audience has asked, sometimes pleadingly, if DC had any plans of bringing back their favorite Flash. For years, Bob Wayne, Dan DiDio, and other DC panelists scoffed at the notion, calling Barry’s death permanent.

As far as death in comic books goes, Barry’s demise was indeed more “permanent” than most since he stayed dead for such a long period of time.

At the end of DC Universe #0 (June 2008), published more than two decades after Crisis on Infinite Earths, it was revealed that Barry Allen was the narrator of the tale, which was called “Let There Be Lightning.”

This 50-cent one-shot special, written by Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns, was a follow-up to the epic Countdown to Final Crisis (May 2007–June 2008)

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In a 2001: A Space Odyssey–like moment, Metron of the New Gods grants Anthro with fire.

The Green Lantern Corps investigate the murder of a god.

The previously obscure Libra, acting as a priest of sorts in service of Darkseid, recruits an army of supervillains and kills the Martian Manhunter.

The evil New Gods use cell phones, the Internet, and GPS systems to enslave humanity with the AntiLife Equation.

A possessed Mary Marvel infects Wonder Woman with the god bacterium, which is designed to rid Earth’s heroes of their powers.

Batman shoots Darkseid with the time-traveling bullet that killed Orion; Darkseid responds by “killing” Batman. (DC diehards know that Batman was actually whisked back in time.)

Numerous other plot points abound, but one of the most important happenings in Final Crisis was the resurrection of Barry Allen, who returns from the beyond at the end of issue #2 and tries— unsuccessfully, of course—to stop the aforementioned bullet from hitting Orion.

At the news of Barry being back in action, Iris breaks down with tears and says, “They said he was dead … all these years … and I knew, knew he’d never been outsmarted before. Not my Barry.”

Of course, Iris was thrilled to learn of Barry’s return, but it’s hard to blame her for being somewhat

skeptical, given the character’s history. “And it’s not Barry from the past or parallel Earth, is it?,” Iris asks pleadingly. “Jay, tell me.”

Putting Iris at ease, Jay says, “It was Barry Allen, Iris. I’d know that aura anywhere. I saw your husband alive.”

In an interview published on www.washingtonpost.com, Grant Morrison talked about Final Crisis and the Scarlet Speedster. “When Barry Allen first appeared it was 1956,” Morrison said, “and basically he saved the concept of the superhero … It was a very demoralized time, postwar. And I think for me, it kind of feels emotionally the same, and it seems right that this character should suddenly come back and symbolize something.”

Whether or not post–World War II America was a “demoralized time” is a political debate for another day, but Morrison nailed it when discussing the appeal of bringing back heroes from the grave (or oblivion, in the case of the Flash).

“The great thing about living in the DC Universe is that yeah, the dead can come back, but that doesn’t happen in the real world,” Morrison said. “I think it’s important to get back to the fact that superhero comics can do things that the real world can’t do.

That’s why people like them. That’s why we enjoy them as an escape. They can take us to places the real world can’t. The real world is cruel, but superhero comics are fantastic.”

THE FLASH: REBIRTH Just a few months after Final Crisis ran its convoluted (if at times compelling) course, DC released The Flash: Rebirth (June 2009–Apr. 2010), an intriguing, beautifully drawn six-issue series written by Geoff Johns, with art by Ethan van Sciver.

As the story begins, a huge celebration is being held in Central City to herald the return of the Flash, but, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer after returning from Heaven, Barry is less than excited. He feels out of place, like he doesn’t belong. “I wasn’t supposed to return,” Barry says to Hal Jordan. “Tell everyone I’m sorry, but I’m not going to make it to the parties and parades.”

In addition to showing Barry trying to adjust to life on this plane of existence, the story features the brief return of Savitar, flashbacks to Barry’s first date with Iris, Barry becoming the new Black Flash (a Grim Reaper of sorts), Barry temporarily returning to the Speed Force, and a gaggle of speedsters battling the always-dangerous Reverse-Flash, who reveals that he’s responsible for everything bad that has happened in Barry’s life, including the death of his mother when Barry was just a boy.

That’s right, the death of Barry’s mother.

To help infuse The Flash: Rebirth with drama and pathos, Johns retconned (via flashback scenes) a young Barry coming home to find his mother dead and lying in a pool of blood. Adding insult to injury, Barry’s father is falsely blamed for the murder. Barry

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Reborn to Run Barry suits up in The Flash: Rebirth, from the team of writer Geoff Johns and artist Ethan van Sciver. Cover art to (left) one of issue #1’s (June 2009) variants and (right) #2.

TM & © DC Comics.

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Flashbacks Geoff Johns and artists Scott Kolins (left) and Francis Manapul (right) continue to mine Barry Allen’s perilous past in the current Flash title. Cover art to issues #8 and 11.

TM & © DC Comics.

spends years trying to absolve his father of the crime, calling it the “only case I left behind.”

In an interview published on www.io9.com, Johns revealed—not surprisingly—that he’s a big fan of the Flash (both Wally and Barry), claiming that the character is more relevant now than ever before: “Super-speed is one of the most amazing powers that I think people can get into and explore,” Johns said. “Today, everyone wants things to go faster, downloads to go quicker … no one has any time for anything … we’re always trying to get everything to go faster.

As our society ‘progresses,’ everyone is texting, using Twitter, all this stuff, all this constant communication and interaction, it’s all about speed. It used to take weeks to deliver a letter, and now you can communicate with someone in, like, two seconds. It’s pretty amazing.”

The Flash: Rebirth had a delayed publishing schedule, but most fans seem to agree that the wait was well worth it.

BARRY “THE FLASH” ALLEN GOES MONTHLY June 2010 saw a brand-spanking-new ongoing series called The Flash, written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Francis Manapul.

I reviewed the first issue in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1671 (Nov. 2010), and here’s what I had to say: If DC had brought back Barry Allen 15, 10, or even 5 years ago, when everyone was clamoring for the return of the Silver Age Speedster, The Flash #1 would seem like a much bigger deal than it is now. However, with so many others coming back via The Blackest Night, Barry’s return is merely another example of how mainstream superheroes never truly stay dead (or in the future or the Speed Force or whatever).

In terms of storyline, this is a fine first issue. Flash exhibits his mad velocity skills, shows kindness towards a kid, awkwardly returns to his job as a forensic scientist, and has a good reason for being late meeting Iris.

The cliffhanger ending is a Rogues-centric take on a familiar (to SF and comics fans) ploy, but it certainly makes this humble reviewer want to check out the next issue.

Manapul’s pencils are energetic, but characters’ noses look odd.

In addition, Brian Buccellato’s muted colors don’t work for the Flash as his costume is brick red instead of bright red.

I’ve since read the next few issues and am happy to report that it’s a title worth adding to your pull list (if it’s not there already).

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LIFE IS FOR THE LIVING Barry Allen died more than 25 years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. As a 16-year-old kid, I was blown away by Crisis on Infinite Earths, but was upset that Barry had to die (“At least he died hero’s death,” I kept telling myself).

I was equally dismayed by the cancellation of The Flash, so much so that I didn’t buy the first five or six issues or so of the new Wally West series, which debuted in June of 1987. Initially written

by Mike Baron, series two of The Flash was a modernized, more realistic take on superheroes as Wally was a self-centered womanizer who gorged on food to replenish his energy, demanded money for performing superheroic deeds, and ran at a top speed of only 705 miles per hour.

After hearing that the new Flash series was actually pretty good, I bit the bullet, picked up the issues I had missed, and began enjoying the adventures of Wally West. By the time Mark Waid started his critically acclaimed run on the book with issue #62 (May 1992), I was once again a diehard fan of The Flash.

In retrospect, perhaps it was fitting that Barry died when he did. As a clean-cut, bow-tied, crew-cut-wearing Boy Scout with few (if any) faults, he was a hero of a kinder, simpler, more innocent era. Maybe he didn’t fit alongside such grim and gritty material as The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, both of which debuted the year after his death.

Regardless, Barry is back, and it’s up to Geoff Johns and the rest of the folks at DC to make him relevant and relatable for a new generation of fans.

Barry’s death had meaning, drama, and substance—here’s hoping his renewed life is equally meaningful, dramatic, and substantive.

Former comic-book retailer BRETT WEISS is the author of Classic Home Video Games, 1972–1984 (McFarland, 2007) and Classic Home Video Games, 1985–1988 (McFarland, 2009). To catch up with Brett, check out his blog: www.brettweisswords.blogspot.com.

®

by

Chris Franklin

Juvenile delinquent.

Boy Wonder.

Murder victim.

Villain.

All of these describe the character of Jason Todd, the second Robin, the Boy Wonder. Jason was a controversial character from his introduction—from his criminal past, to his brash actions, to his death at the hands of not only the Joker, but also real-world fans that voted for him to perish. Recently, he returned, a shocking move that divided fans on its merits.

But Jason wasn’t always such a roguish character.

Once upon a time, he was a nice, young, circus aerialist, very similar to his predecessor, Dick Grayson. The Jason Todd who died and rose again to bedevil Batman and comics fans was not the same character that originally wore the red, green, and gold of the second Robin.

These were two very different takes on the same character, created within just four years of each another—an odd occurrence, even for the everevolving world of comics. The real-world origins of Jason Todd are perhaps even more compelling than the diverse fictional versions.

THE DYNAMIC DUO RETURNS In the early 1980s, under writer Gerry Conway and editor Dick Giordano, everything old was new again in DC Comics’ Batman titles. Long-forgotten elements of Batman lore were brought back for new readers to experience. The vampiric Monk, the Dirigible of Doom, and Vicki Vale were just some of the concepts revived by Conway in tales that spread across Batman and Detective Comics, essentially making one biweekly Batman comic.

Amidst this revival was a reunited Dynamic Duo, separated for more than a decade when Robin, a.k.a.

Dick Grayson, was sent off to college. Things weren’t quite the same as before, with tensions arising between Bruce (Batman) Wayne and his ward for the first time.

These tensions were also picked up on in Robin’s other regular berth, the mega-popular New Teen Titans,

by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez.

Boy Wonder, Six Feet Under Detail from Mike Mignola’s cover to Book Three of the 1988 DC Comics shocker, “A Death in the Family,” from Batman #428.

TM & © DC Comics.

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First Encounter Dick Grayson spies circus aerialist Jason Todd for the first time on page 10 of Batman #357 (Mar. 1983), by the Gerry Conway/ Don Newton/ Alfredo Alcala team.

There was no denying the popularity of The New Teen Titans. It was DC’s number-one seller at the time. But Dick Grayson, the team leader, the very lynchpin of the group, was not completely Wolfman’s and Pérez’s to explore. As the Titans grew in popularity, a call upstairs into senior management brought an end to Dick Giordano’s brief tenure as Bat-editor. In a fortuitous move for all involved, the Batman titles came under the stewardship of Len Wein, who was also editing Titans.

Conway was no stranger to the frustrations of creators on team books dealing with characters they didn’t “own.” He had long been the writer of DC’s flagship team, the Justice League of America, a team composed mostly of characters with their own titles and respective creative teams.

So Conway suggested a radical solution that would solve the Robin problem: create a new one.

TM & © DC Comics.

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THE FLYING TODDS Conway believes it was he who initiated the idea of a new Robin for Batman, which would leave Dick Grayson free to fly away fulltime with the Titans.

But was that Conway’s plan all along, or did the writer mean to stick to the status quo with Batman and Robin?

“Yes and no,” Conway answers. “I’d been a fan of the original [Batman and Robin] team all my life, but I was also aware that Robin had taken on a life of his own in Teen Titans that prevented Dick Grayson from being fully engaged in the Batman titles. So I knew there was going to be a structural and creative problem with the Batman/Robin dynamic—so to speak.

“There were two possible solutions, given that Teen Titans had become such an important title for DC, and given Dick Grayson’s prominent and integral role in that team. Solution One: Drop Robin from the Batman titles as a regularly appearing character. I didn’t want to do that because I felt, at the time, that the relationship between Batman and his younger partner was crucial to the appeal and structure of the series. (I don’t feel that way now, but this was a different time, before the Frank Miller version of the Dark Knight took ascendancy.) Solution Two: Introduce a new Robin. I went for Solution Two.” When asked if this notion of a new Robin met any resistance from anyone within DC, Conway offers, “Surprisingly little.” And what of Titans creators Wolfman and Pérez—how did they feel about this proposed solution?

“I think Marv was probably delighted to have Dick Grayson as a fulltime Titan,” Conway says.

“I know, if our situations had been reversed, I would’ve been. Though since we’re both fanboys at heart, he might’ve felt Jason Todd was a desecration of the character. Truth is, I was ambivalent about Jason myself, as a fan, but as a writer I did what I needed to do to solve the problem I perceived.”

But who would be the new Robin? In Batman #357 (Mar. 1983), by Conway, Don Newton, and Alfredo Alcala, Dick reconnects with some of his old circus friends and witnesses a performance by the Flying Todds, consisting of Joseph, Trina, and their fair-haired, 12-year-old son, Jason. Dick wonders, “…why does looking at them send a chill up my spine?”

The Sloan Circus, home to the Todds, is the target of an extortion scheme, engineered by rising crimeboss Killer Croc. Now the setup is complete. The classic origin of Robin was being retold, but this time, with new players.

Did Conway intend for this obvious connection to the past?

“Absolutely,” Conway reveals. “For good or ill, one of the things I like to do when I take over a character on a regular basis is to return him to his origins, if I can.

First of all, that’s because it’s usually the original version of a character that first appealed to me as a reader, and I always try to write what I liked to read when I first discovered comics (hopefully filtered through any mature insights I might’ve gained along the way).

Secondly, I believe comic-book superheroes, at their best, tap into a universal, unconscious iconic set of images, kind of Jungian archetype. If a character is successful over a period of time, it’s because the original creators touched something primitive and true. I believe the best way to recapture that original, primitive truth is to return to the source, and try to recreate the original archetype. If only it were that easy, though…”

Over the next few issues, this plot plays out: Batman and Robin pursue Killer Croc, and Trina Todd stumbles on Bruce and Dick’s secret identities. She and

Joseph are enlisted to help track Croc’s men. They trail one to the reptile house of the Gotham Zoo, and encounter not only Croc, but also Gotham’s assembled underworld. Tragedy is about to repeat itself once more in the Batman legend.

FIRST FLIGHT Detective Comics #526 (May 1983) celebrated Batman’s 500th Detective appearance in style. A departing Conway, with Newton and Alcala, crafts a memorable tale, where Batman and his allies face all of Batman’s rogues, plus Killer Croc, who compete to kill the Darknight Detective first. A concerned Jason spends the night at Wayne Manor, while Dick searches for the whereabouts of Todd’s parents. Dick (as Robin) finds the remains of the Todds in the Gotham Zoo’s reptile house, their bodies surrounded by crocodiles.

The grisly scene is kept mostly off-camera, but the implications are chilling.

Meanwhile, oblivious to the horrific fate of his parents, Jason Todd explores Wayne Manor in search of a midnight snack. What he finds instead is the secret entrance to the Batcave. Jason uncovers a world of wonder, and a closet full of spare Batman costumes.

Jason quickly deduces the identities of the Dynamic Duo. Jason then finds a chest full of “costumes … most of them Robin’s, from when he was a kid … a kid.

Heck, I’m in trouble anyway, right?” And so Jason dons the familiar costume of Robin for the first time.

Well, not quite familiar. In a large panel, Jason stands in a new costume, composed of spare parts and old circus outfits. Its long-sleeved red top and trunks, taller boots, and green leggings and half-cowl make this a nice, modern updating of the Robin suit, minus some of the design elements that have elicited snickers by folks with little respect for the character and the more innocent time period in which the original costume was designed.

Was this new costume, designed by Don Newton, meant to be Jason’s permanent attire as the new Robin?

“Honestly, I don’t recall,” says Conway. “But I think if we were going to go to the trouble of creating a ‘new’ Robin patterned on the old Robin, and not just create an entirely new sidekick for Batman, then we probably intended to return to the original look eventually.”

Jason, in costume, manages to join the climactic battle with Killer Croc. There he learns that Croc had murdered his parents. Jason goes berserk and pummels the already-battered Croc. Robin and Batgirl TEMPORARILY GROUNDED Jason’s initial jaunt in cape and tights was a short are barely able to pull him off the beaten crimelord.

Dick contemplates adopting Jason himself, one. Incoming writer Doug Moench portrayed a Batman weary of endangering another but Bruce persuades him that the guilt of the child. In Batman #360 (June 1983), Todds’ deaths lay on his head, not Dick’s. written by Moench and drawn once As the issue closes, Bruce and Jason more by Don Newton, Jason is excited walk out into the sunrise, and Gerry by the prospect of joining his new Conway leaves the Batman titles mentor on a case. Jason reminds behind with one heck of a setup him that he is the same age Dick for the next writer: “Life renews, was when he first became Robin: with every new dawn.”

“That was different … and perhaps So now, having set into motion I made a mistake then … one I events that would create a new don’t care to repeat,” chides the Dynamic Duo, writer Gerry Conway Masked Manhunter. A similar was gone. What plans did he have exchange occurred in at least every in store for Bruce Wayne and his other issue of Batman and Detective new charge? gerry conway over the following six months.

“I honestly have no idea,” Moench reveals Jason’s long rite of Conway shrugs. “I rarely made long-range plans for characters. I just tried to write passage was intended from his inception. “Gerry’s stories I wanted to read. Probably one of my (many) notion of a gradual transition was already in place, and I agreed with the strategy.” weaknesses as a writer.”

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Robin 2.1 Jason’s first Robin suit, from Detective Comics #526 (May 1983).

By Conway, Newton, and Alcala.

TM & © DC Comics.

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Batman dresses down his ward for wearing the sacred costume of Robin. “You had no right to wear it in the first place. Becoming my new partner is one thing … stealing someone else’s very identity is another … and one I won’t allow.”

Jason spends the next several issues back in his proto-costume from Detective #526. After singlehandedly apprehending Poison Ivy, he finally earns the right to be Batman’s full partner. But what to call him?

Moench offers an interesting, alternate take on the transition from Dick Grayson to Jason Todd: “The original idea was for Robin to go with the Teen Titans, whereupon Batman would adopt Jason Todd as his new partner with a new name like ‘Nightbird’ or somesuch.

I disagreed strongly, arguing that ‘Batman and Nightbird’ just didn’t sound right. ‘Batman and Robin’ was such an iconic institution that it should never be shattered, whereas a new character name like ‘Nightbird’ would fit much more easily into Teen Titans. Ultimately, DC head Dick Giordano, editor Len Wein, and Teen Titans writer Marv Wolfman all agreed. Marv (I believe) came up with the final name Nightwing.” (Other sources credit colorist Anthony Tollin with the name.)

THAT’S RIGHT—WE SAID BOY WONDER!

Grounded New writer Doug Moench made it clear that Jason Todd would have to earn his wings. From Batman #360 (June 1983), drawn

by Newton and Pablo Marcos.

TM & © DC Comics.

Inside Batman #368, history is at last made. Moench, Newton, and Alcala begin their tale where the last Detective issue left off. The Batman and his unnamed partner are running down a laundry list of bad aliases, such as Wonder Boy, Flying Ace, and even Guano.

“They all sound dumb,” says Jason.

“Right the last time, heroes,” says a civilian Dick Grayson as he enters the Batcave from stage right, a box under his arm.

“Bruce, as long as I can remember, I’ve been trying to be you … but I’m not you. I’m no longer even your partner. I’m the leader of the Titans now … and it’s time I became that … in name as well as fact.”

Dick continues as he opens the box, revealing the classic Robin costume inside. “…I’ve come to pass on the mantle of Robin. Take it, Jason … you’ve earned it.”

“You’ve received a profound gift, Jay … put it on,” utters a misty-eyed Bruce. “Thank you, Dick … for all the years … for everything.” The Dark Knight puts his hand on his old chum’s shoulder.

And then Jason stands revealed, at last, as Robin, the Boy Wonder.

Dick departs with a handshake for his mentor, forever. The scene described above is a poignant one, How did Doug Moench feel about inheriting a new well handled by all involved. It’s a shame it has sidekick, and a radical change to the Batman mythos? been totally forgotten in subsequent years for “All part of the job—and writing Batman was a the much juicier tales of a Batman and dream job,” Moench says. Although amiable Robin bitterly at odds. to exploring the situation given him, Did Moench flinch at writing such Moench admits he would have preferred pivotal scene? “Although I would have a more traditional setup: “I would have preferred that Dick Grayson stay put, stuck with Dick Grayson, plus frequent any writer would give his eyeteeth Batman-on-his-own outings.” for the opportunity to handle such In Batman #366 (Dec. 1983), a rich scene,” he says.

Batman ends a three-issue battle with Jason’s official career as Robin the Joker in Central America facing a begins in earnest on the following Clown Prince so insane with rage he is pages, and in his first case he truly willing to finally end his deadly dance learns what it means to bear the with the Dark Knight. Poised with a name of the Boy Wonder. Crazymachine gun, the madman takes aim doug moench Quilt, a criminal who Dick Grayson’s at his hated foe, only to be stopped Robin had accidentally blinded, by … Robin, the BOY Wonder! comes gunning for revenge, and “Robin” admits to being Jason, who dyed his hair, guess who he targets? Robin is Robin to Quilt, and at and found a spare costume, and enough loose money issue’s end he leaves Jason brutally beaten in an around the manor to get a plane ticket to Central America.

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alleyway, to be found by an anguished Batman. It’s a rough start for Jason, and one that foreshadows his ultimate end.

Of course, Jason rebounds, and in Detective Comics #535 (Feb. 1984) by Moench and Colan, he and Batman defeat Crazy-Quilt. From this point on, Jason’s trials and tribulations as Robin become one of Moench’s many subplots through the Batman titles.

“HE WAS A GOOD SOLDIER.” Jason had a pivotal role in Frank Miller’s magnum opus Batman: The Dark Knight, which debuted in March 1986. Miller depicted an old and bitter Batman, long retired from his crusade over the death of his partner, Robin—Jason Todd. Jason is memorialized in the vacant Batcave, his empty costume suspended in mid-air in a glass case. Other comics creators would not (and apparently could not) forget this. From this point on, the sword of Damocles seemed to be hanging over Jason’s head. So many other elements of Miller’s work became gospel, and the tragic fate of Jason Todd seemed too great a temptation to resist.

TM & © DC Comics.

SPREADING HIS WINGS Jason’s Robin rarely appeared outside of the Batman titles at this time. Perhaps Jason’s most famous appearance in a non-Batman title was in 1985’s Superman Annual #11. In Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ classic “For the Man Who Has Everything,” it is Jason, as Robin, who defeats the evil intergalactic despot Mongul where the DC trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman could not. It is Jason’s shining moment in his short career.

Jason made a few token appearances in DC’s continuity-altering maxiseries Crisis on Infinite Earths (Mar. 1985–Mar. 1986). The Earth-One universe Jason lived in was folded into many others, and DC had a good excuse to revamp any character any way it wanted. Although there were no immediate changes in the Batman comics, eventually Jason’s history and his very character would be rewritten.

BRAVE NEW WORLD Doug Moench wrote the last official tale of the Earth-One Batman in Batman #400 (Oct. 1986). The next month, famed Batman writer Denny O’Neil took over as Bateditor, and the issue-to-issue continuity between Batman and Detective ended. Outside of a strong run by Mike W. Barr and Alan Davis, Robin’s appearances in Detective were few and far between from this point on.

Batman was now firmly entrenched in the post–Crisis DC Universe. Would O’Neil have preferred a solo Dark Knight from the start of his editorial run?

“In a universe run by me, maybe,” O’Neil says. “But I accepted that Robin was part of the package.”

Sidekick in Training The Ed Hannigan/Dick Giordano cover to Batman #368 (Feb. 1984) trotted out the new Boy Wonder, with no one the wiser about the doom that awaited Jason Todd just four years later. (top) In this panel from page 5 of Detective #535, Robin discovers that crimefighting is no lark.

TM & © DC Comics.

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THE JUVIE WONDER

Wings Stretched, Wings Clipped (above) The second Robin saves the day in 1985’s Superman Annual #11, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. (right) Frank Miller’s vision of a KIA Robin, from 1986’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, became gospel in DC continuity.

TM & © DC Comics.

O’Neil began the new adventures of Batman in earnest in Batman #408 (June 1987). The tale, by new writer Max Allan Collins and artists Chris Warner and Mike DeCarlo, begins with a flashback to the original Dynamic Duo’s last case. Dick Grayson, as Robin, is shot by the Joker, and nearly falls to his death.

Batman reacts to this close call by ending the partnership, effectively firing Robin. It is intimated that Dick goes off to pursue his career as Nightwing.

Some time later, Batman returns to Crime Alley on the anniversary of his parents’ deaths. There he meets Ma Gunn, a kindly old lady who runs a reform school for troubled boys in the impoverished community.

When he returns to the Batmobile, he finds its two front wheels missing. While Batman laughs at the prospect of someone brave enough to steal the wheels of his ride, the thief returns for the other two.

Confronted by the Dark Knight, the young boy hits him in the gut with his tire iron and runs off. Batman follows him to a ramshackle apartment and finds the youth smoking. When questioned, the boy tells Batman his father may be in prison, and his mother is dead. He has been living alone in the apartment and on the streets for some time. Batman makes the boy return the tires, and as they walk the streets, Batman learns the boy’s name—Jason Todd.

Batman agrees to not turn Jason over to the police, provided he go to Ma Gunn’s school instead. But Jason learns Ma’s school taught the trade of crime, and soon escapes. He tips Batman off to a heist Ma and her students planned to pull off, and follows to lend a hand in rounding Gunn and her hoodlums up.

At issue’s end, the two ride off in the Batmobile, with Jason telling Batman how hard it will be for him to find a good home at his age. “Don’t bet on it …

Robin,” says the Dark Knight.

So Jason had a new beginning. O’Neil explains why: “Gerry Conway, who created Jason, was instructed to make him close to Dick Grayson—in other words, don’t innovate. We had no such instruction and so changing the origin was logical. Why repeat yourself?”

In Batman #410–411, by Collins and Dave Cockrum, Batman and Robin come face-to-face with Two-Face, whom Jason learns murdered his father, a fact from which Batman was trying to protect him.

An angered Jason tries to strangle Two-Face, in a portent of his characterization under other writers. Eventually Batman persuades his charge to not take justice into his own hands, and they apprehend the bisected bad guy.

Collins wrote more issue of Batman before making an abrupt exit. Reportedly, his run was not met with the enthusiasm O’Neil had hoped for. The treatment of Dick’s exit as Robin, and Batman’s quick adoption of the seedier Jason, didn’t sit well with some longtime readers. O’Neil was faced with the fact that they may have an unlikable character on their hands.

Enter Jim Starlin.

RECKLESS ROBIN Starlin, best known for his cosmic Warlock and Captain Marvel sagas for Marvel Comics, may have seemed somewhat of an odd choice for the urban Batman.

But Starlin portrayed his Batman as a streetwise warrior dealing with monsters pulled from real-world headlines.

The idea of Robin didn’t seem to fit into Starlin’s view of a more realistic Batman. Starlin has stated before that he suggested killing Robin off. Was it Jason, or the very concept of Robin that Starlin didn’t care for?

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“Disliked the whole idea of a Robin,” Starlin says.

“Who goes out to fight crime with a child that you dress up in bright primary colors, while you shroud yourself in dark clothing? In the real world, that would be called child abuse.”

Starlin’s proposal for killing off Robin was initially denied, so what to do with a character he so strongly disliked? “I tried to avoid using Robin while I was writing Batman, but Denny O’Neil insisted I use him in one lone issue and that he’d be in The Cult [a Batman miniseries

by Starlin and Bernie Wrightson],” Starlin says. “Then, of course, the was ‘A Death in the Family.’”

In the regular Batman title, Starlin did use Jason more than once. Of particular significance is Batman #416 (Feb. 1988), a story that addresses in full the post–Crisis relationship between Batman, Dick Grayson, and Jason Todd. Batman begrudgingly admits to Dick that he adopted Jason because he was lonely and missed his ward. In the end, Dick gives Jason one of his spare Robin costumes from his later years in the role.

Unfortunately, Jason never got the chance to grow into it.

Jason’s increasingly reckless behavior seemed evident during Starlin’s run. Was this a conscious decision? O’Neil replies, “No conscious decision. It just happened. Maybe I should have been more vigilant when wearing my editor hat.”

Starlin says, “In the one Batman issue I wrote with Robin featured, I had him do something underhanded, as I recall. Denny had told me that the character was very unpopular with fans, so I decided to play on that dislike.”

The issue in question was Batman #424 (Oct. 1988),

by Starlin and Mark Bright. At the issue’s end, Batman hurriedly follows an enraged Robin, who has set off to punish a rapist for sadistically torturing a past victim into committing suicide. And when Batman catches up to his partner, the rapist has just fallen to his death from his skyscraper balcony. Batman asks the hard question, “Robin, did Felipe fall … or was he pushed?”

“I guess I spooked him,” answered Robin.

“He slipped.”

“A DEATH IN THE FAMILY” What happened next is comic-book history.

Denny O’Neil became aware of the then-new concept of interactive 1-900 telephone numbers, which provided a function for a fee charged to the caller.

“A bunch of us were sitting around a hotel room after an editorial retreat and the idea emerged from casual conversation,” says O’Neil. He hypothesized that such a service would be a great tool for fans to dictate an important moment in their favorite character’s life.

The Batman “group editor” now had a potential solution to his Robin problem.

“Jason was a problem, all right,” O’Neil admits.

“It was a case of a character taking on a life of his own, and that life was disagreeable. We had to do something with him, and the phone stunt was it.”

And so DC Comics introduced a gimmick where readers would decide the outcome of the “A Death in the Family” storyline by voting through calling one of two 1-900 telephone numbers. This was a new concept for comics, with fans actually dictating the outcome of a writer’s story.

Did Starlin feel hampered by this? “If Denny hadn’t come up with the phone-in stunt I probably never would have had the chance to write ‘A Death in the Family,’” Starlin says. “[So I felt] no hampering whatsoever.”

The four-part “A Death in the Family” by Starlin, Jim Aparo, and Mike DeCarlo begins in Batman #426

(Dec. 1988). Batman takes an out-of-control Jason off of active duty. A despondent Jason stumbles upon a mystery of his own when he discovers the woman he thought was his mother was, in fact, not. He follows clues that lead him to the Middle East in search of his birth mother.

At the same time, the Joker has come into possession of a nuclear missile, and plans to sell it to MiddleEastern terrorists. Batman has tracked him there, and only by accident does he bump into Jason.

The Dynamic Duo team up one more time as Jason’s search and Batman’s manhunt converge. In Batman #427, they follow both trails to Ethiopia, where Jason finds his real mother, Dr. Sheila Heywood.

Unfortunately, Jason’s mother is being blackmailed by the Joker. In an effort to help, Jason reveals his Robin identity to her. She repays his kindness by turning him over to the Joker, who mercilessly beats the boy nearly to death with a crowbar.

The Joker then turns the tables on Heywood and leaves her tied up in a warehouse with her severely beaten son, while a time bomb ticks away.

Dead Heroes Issue

Post–Crisis Kid Crusader Original cover art

by Steve Geiger (according to www.dcindexes.com) and Dick Giordano to Batman #410, with (inset) the reworked, slightly altered published version with central figures by Giordano.

TM & © DC Comics.

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License to Kill (below) The infamous ad allowing readers to vote for Robin’s fate. (right) Mignola’s cover to Batman #426, launching the “A Death in the Family” storyline.

TM & © DC Comics.

Jason awakens in time to free his mother, but not in time to defuse the bomb.

The warehouse explodes as Batman returns.

On the inside back cover of this issue, readers are given two phone numbers to call, and vote on Jason’s destiny: one to save him, and one to allow him to die.

By a narrow margin, those who voted for Jason to perish won.

Batman #428 tells the saddest tale in Batman’s long career. Batman searches the rubble, with the faint hope his partner survived. He finds a mortally wounded Heywood who lives long enough to tell Batman her son died a hero. And then he finds the battered body of Jason Todd, cold to the touch.

The storyline continues, with Batman and Superman facing a Joker who manages to become UN ambassador to Iran—but Jason Todd is dead.

Robin is dead, at the hands of Batman’s greatest foe.

Did Starlin have any other villains in mind to do this unthinkable deed? He admits he “chose the Joker because of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.

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In there, it’s revealed that the Joker killed Jason.”

News of the death of Robin hit the national press, with most believing the Robin who died to be Dick Grayson. There was some backlash from folks still thinking of Burt Ward on the ’60s Batman TV series.

But was there any resistance from within DC Comics or its corporate parent, Warner Communications?

“Not at first,” says O’Neil.

Jim Starlin reveals how the death of Robin story grew into a controversy: “When the series began, Denny O’Neil showed up on all the morning TV talk shows, reportedly taking full credit for the project.

Jim Aparo and I were never mentioned. But when the series ended with Jason’s death, DC’s merchandising department suddenly realized they had all these licensing deals involving Robin being on PJs and lunchboxes. They kicked up a real stink. All of a sudden DC’s bestseller that year became a horrendous mistake.

Guess who got blamed for it? I was off Batman within weeks and gone from DC, as soon as I finished [the 1989 miniseries] Gilgamesh II.” Starlin wrote one more issue of Batman following the infamous story arc. “The Comic Buyer’s Guide interviewed me on the series,” Starlin says. “When they ran the interview, they started it off with a headline that heavily hinted that the whole call-in stunt was a hoax; that we planned to kill off Robin all along.

They did this, even though I never said anything like that in my interview. Of course, most folks up at DC never read past the headline and that pretty much finished me up at DC for more than a decade.”

Denny O’Neil, who has stated numerous times he now regrets the phone stunt, has this to say on how he would handle it today: “I would brace for the reaction, been more considerate of fans’ sensibilities, and created a contingency plan for Jason’s possible demise.”

Batman to the Rescue Original Jim Aparo promo art panels for “A Death in the Family.” Courtesy of Heritage.

TM & © DC Comics.

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Alternate Ending

By Starlin, Aparo, and Mike DeCarlo, two panels from the alternate—but rejected by fans—ending to Batman #428.

TM & © DC Comics.

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN An alternate ending to Batman #428 was drawn by Aparo and DeCarlo, depicting a jubilant Batman finding his young partner alive. If this version had been published, where would have Starlin gone with Jason?

“I would have tried avoiding using him, if I had continued to write Batman,” he says. If Jason Todd had lived, would he have been banned from or unable to wear the mantle of Robin? We may never know.

But the allure of the Dynamic Duo—and perhaps the strength of DC’s licensing arm—were too great.

“The day after the story broke in the media,” according to Denny O’Neil, plans began to create a new Robin.

Enter Tim Drake, a youngster who reverently worshipped the original Dynamic Duo. Tim immediately struck a chord with fans. He eventually earned a new Robin costume, several miniseries, and his own long-running title.

“I trusted my writers—primarily Marv Wolfman and Chuck Dixon—to come up with a Robin who answered all objections to the previous versions,” says O’Neil.

“They performed splendidly.” When asked why fans embraced Tim Drake but rejected Jason Todd, O’Neil adds, “Who wouldn’t like Tim? And who would like Jason?”

Jason Todd continued to have a presence in the Batman books beyond his death. His costume hung in a glass case, just like Frank Miller predicted it would. Jason’s career as Robin haunted Batman as the worst choice of his illustrious career. A heck of a way to be remembered.

A TALE OF TWO TODDS The second version of Jason Todd would eventually return as the Red Hood, a conflicted individual who straddles the line between villainy and heroism. A streamlined version of this tale of woe was adapted into a 2010 direct-to-DVD animated movie, Batman: Under the Red Hood.

Jason Todd’s original incarnation is almost completely forgotten, barely a footnote in the legend of the Dark Knight. But there are those who remember a time when Jason Todd was just a nice, young, orphaned circus performer. A fitting candidate for a Boy Wonder.

CHRIS FRANKLIN is a graphic designer, cartoonist, husband, and father of two. The best man at his wedding was a fellow by the name of … Jason Todd (no kidding).

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Email: euryman@gmail.com (subject: BACK ISSUE) Postal mail: Michael Eury, Editor • BACK ISSUE 118 Edgewood Ave. NE • Concord, NC 28025

Find BACK ISSUE on

SPIDEY IN SPAIN A few days ago I bought BACK ISSUE #44 (dedicated to Spider-Man in the Bronze Age), and as expected it was a great issue.

What I didn’t anticipate was finding the cover of a Spanish edition in the article about Marvel Team-Up. It was a surprise as pleasant as it was unexpected (and the illustration footnote was fun to read!). You must surely have received several messages about this, but just in case, here’s some info: The illo on page 39 is by de López Espí (complete name: Rafael López Espí), the artist who was to render the covers of most Marvel

Raimundo, thank you for the valuable information! It wasn’t until you pointed it out that I realized Rafael López Espí’s illo was a recreation of the cover of Sub-Mariner #40, and on this page we’ve compared both side by side for our readers’ benefit.

At press time I had yet to receive your copies of Spanish Marvel art, but look forward to it—and hopefully will share some of them here in print.

– M.E.

© 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc.

Send your comments to:

comics published in Spain from 1970 to 1984. The cover appearing in BACK ISSUE #44 is the one from Namor nº 18 containing Sub-Mariner issues #39 and 40 (1971). As you may notice when comparing both, López Espí made a painted version of Sal Buscema and Frank Giacoia’s cover from Sub-Mariner #40. This was quite common, but on some occasions, López Espí made completely original covers.

Anyway, it’s important to remark that during 1970–1976 (or thereabouts), his work was outstanding, and some covers are regarded by Spanish readers as great classics. In order to help you have a better idea about what I’ve just mentioned, I will send you some color Xeroxes (some of them from my original-art collection), as well as a CD with more examples. Thus, you will be able to see some of the best López Espí works (including covers, posters, and even some interesting cards he made in 1975).

By the way, I was surprised twice at seeing López Espí’s cover in BACK ISSUE #44. First of all, because it was from an Spanish edition of a Marvel comic book, and secondly because it was myself who sold this piece of original art at a comic-book shop I owned for several years. I guess the Spanish collector ended up selling it again through Heritage Comics Auctions.

– Raimundo Fonseca

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What a great idea, Joel! We’ve toyed with an article on giveaway comics, from a Bronze Age perspective on titles like the Superman/Wonder Woman RadioShack one-shot seen here, and your suggestion gives me an opportunity to mention this to our writers—and to others out there who might be interested in contributing such an article to BACK ISSUE: Anyone want to on this project? Be forewarned that it would require a wealth of research, tracking down giveaways, but perhaps there’s a giveaway comics collector out there just waiting for such an opportunity!

I’d never heard of the giveaways you mention, and from Googling a few of them found David Levin’s blog post of December 27, 2010, where he discusses the Superman: This Island Bradman comic. This was an extremely limited edition produced by a billionaire as a gift to friends at his son’s bar mitzvah. There’s more information—and scans—at Levin’s blog: brainstormincblog.blogspot.com.

– M.E.

THE TWILIGHT OF STAN LEE AS A MARVEL WRITER Since BI #44 had a single theme (Spider-Man, in this case), it was a satisfying, coherent issue. Reading the “Cracking the Code” article made me realize that a cool idea for a future article would be “The Twilight of Stan Lee as a Marvel Comics writer, 1970–1972.”

I can’t remember reading an analysis of this strange time, after the Marvel expansion of 1968–’69, but before the ascendancy of Gerry Conway and Steve Englehart, leading to their eventual control of most of the main titles. While many agree that the “Bronze Age” began with Conan #1, I feel a major tectonic shift occurred when Roy Thomas and Stan Lee gave up all superhero titles in 1972.

After Kirby (and Steranko) left Marvel, when Neal Adams could only do occasional work between his DC commitments, and when Barry [Windsor-]Smith retreated from becoming the next Kirby, Stan Lee had to hustle to get Buscema, Colan, and Romita to fill in the gap. This, combined with the idiotic edict that Marvel would adhere to a single-issue, or at most, two-issue story policy, immediately affected the quality of the line.

Stan Lee wrote some of his best and worst stories during this period, dependent on the plotting of his overworked artists.

Cosmic stories were generally jettisoned without Kirby to propel them, and while Romita and Buscema were arguably more consistent artists than Kirby, neither had the imagination, the plotting ability, or the knack for creating new characters that the “King” had. On Spider-Man, the art switched from Buscema/ Mooney trying to approximate Romita, then Gil Kane inked by Romita or Giacoia, with neither team able to rival Romita (with Demeo, Heck, or Mooney) in his prime.

During 1971, Lee dropped Thor, and Roy Thomas dropped The Hulk, Daredevil, and Sub-Mariner. By 1972, Lee wrote Spider-Man and the FF only sporadically, before stopping altogether. Thomas gave up The Avengers that year, too.

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Mac, I hope you don’t mind my taking the liberty of printing your letter for all to see, since your idea is so intriguing.

TwoMorrows’ forthcoming book, The Stan Lee Universe, edited by Danny Fingeroth and Roy Thomas, will presumably explore some of material you recommend. But I think your idea would make a great article in BACK ISSUE, and after some time has passed after the June 2011 release of The Stan Lee Universe, we’ll seriously consider covering Stan’s “twilight” in our pages.

– M.E.

Thomas.

Of course, both writers maintained a strong influence on the near future, but the consistent vision, or “Marvel Universe” they maintained as primary writers of the superhero line for years, ended at that point.

This is not so much a letters column entry, but an idea to pass on to your many qualified writers, for your eventual future issue on the FF, Spider-Man, or Marvel in general.

– Mac Talley

© 2011 Danny Fingeroth and Roy

I was wondering if you could feature promotional and giveaway comics from DC and Marvel? I am especially interested in DC and have collected these over the years.

I have seen scans of some comics that I probably will never own at all (Superman: This Island Bradman, Twisted Metal 2, Supergear, etc.). There are three in particular that I have seen scans of covers but not the actual contents: Aquateers Meet the Superfriends, Dirtminator, and Pow Biff Pops (a promotional piece done for the Boston Pops featuring both DC and Marvel characters).

Hope you get some information on these. Thanks.

– Joel Caballes

RADIOACTIVE MAN It was difficult for me to imagine that any new insights could have been gleaned from the Green Lantern/Green Arrow series, but John Wells was able to do just that in his article in BI #45.

However, some mention deserves to be made of the wonderful send-up of the series done in Radioactive Man #3, back in 1993. The script, by Cindy Vance, Bill Morrison, and Steve Vance, was able at the same time to poke fun at some of the series’ shark-jumping aspects, yet serve as a tribute to it. This, trust me, is an extremely difficult tightrope to walk, and the team managed it beautifully. Check out just the cover and you’ll see what I mean.

– Mike W. Barr Thanks for the reminder, Mike. We’ve taken this opportunity to share that parody’s cover here.

Always good to hear from you, old chum! BACK ISSUE readers should take note of Mr. Barr’s new novel, Majician/51, available at: www.invispress.com/M51/.

– M.E.

SECOND-TIER HEROES MAKE FIRST-RATE READING Not having read BACK ISSUE in some time, I was puzzled at the price increase. Then I saw the color center pages and understood why. These pages have made an already great magazine even greater. Issue #45 had a really nice assortment of articles on the second-tier heroes in the Marvel hierarchy. The coverage of Cloak and Dagger is a perfect example of what makes BACK ISSUE such an invaluable magazine.

– Ed Reilly Thank you, Ed—and we hope the color pages, plus our devotion to covering series big and small, will bring you back to our magazine each and every issue.

– M.E.

nt.

Radioactive Man © Bongo Entertainme

Comics.

Superman and Wonder Woman TM & © DC RadioShack © RadioShack Corporation.

GIVEAWAY COMICS

If you’re viewing a digital version of this publication, PLEASE read this plea from the publisher! his is COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL, which is NOT INTENDED FOR FREE DOWNLOADING ANYWHERE. If you’re a print subscriber, or you paid T the modest fee we charge to download it at our website, you have our sincere thanks—your support allows us to keep producing publications 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, and it was an ILLEGAL POSTING OF OUR COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. If that’s the case, here’s what you should do: 1) Go ahead and READ THIS DIGITAL ISSUE, and see what you think.

2) If you enjoy it enough to keep it, DO THE RIGHT THING and purchase a legal download of it from our website, or purchase the print edition at our website (which entitles you to the Digital Edition for free) or at your local comic book shop. We’d love to have you as a regular paid reader.

3) Otherwise, DELETE IT FROM YOUR COMPUTER and DO NOT SHARE IT WITH FRIENDS OR POST IT ANYWHERE. 4) Finally, DON’T KEEP DOWNLOADING OUR MATERIAL ILLEGALLY, for free. We offer one complete issue of all our magazines for free downloading at our website, which should be sufficient for you to decide if you want to purchase others. If you enjoy our publications enough to keep downloading 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 work. We love what we do, but our editors, authors, and your local comic shop owner, rely on income from this publication to stay in business. Please don’t rob us of the small amount of compensation we receive. Doing so will ensure there won’t be any future products like this to download.

TwoMorrows publications should only be downloaded at

www.twomorrows.com

TM & © DC Comics.

ENGLEHART’S JLA I’ve been reading and enjoying BACK ISSUE since the beginning, and in this issue (#45) you ran an interview dissecting one of my favorite runs from early in my collecting experience, the Steve Englehart JLA issues.

Great interview on a terrific run. I’m glad Steve pointed out Dick Dillin’s talents; I always have felt he was an underrated artist who kept every JLAer “on model,” and as it was pointed out in the interview, rarely missed an issue, even when the book went to 34 pages a month.

I do have one question and one comment: I loved Englehart’s “Origin of the Justice League—Minus One!” in JLA #144. It’s not elaborated on in the interview, but I’ve always wondered why in the ’80s and beyond DC has ignored this story, and gone back to the “Appelax Aliens” origin from JLA #9. I find Englehart’s origin far superior to the origin for the League that Gardner Fox wrote, and wonder if you, Michael, having been an editor at DC in the late 1980s, have any idea why the “retroactive continuity” in JLA #144 has been ignored since publication? Keith Giffen, Peter David, and Eric Shanower did a beautiful job of retelling the “Appelax” story in Secret Origins #38, but while reading it, I remember thinking to myself, “Yeah, but this isn’t the REAL origin of the Justice League…”

While I enjoyed a lot of Steve’s insights, I was troubled when he said of the time at which Jenette Kahn approached him to work for DC, “All the people who were stars at DC had all gone to Marvel.”

I’ve read similar comments either made by him or by interviewers in other Englehart interviews. What about Jim Aparo? Curt Swan?

Dick Giordano? Rich Buckler, a star at the time, had worked at Marvel but was then at DC (or maybe working for both). And if we’re talking

about writers as well as artists, what about Denny O’Neil? Wouldn’t he have been DC’s biggest “star” writer from earlier in the decade (and he was still at DC when Englehart arrived)? Cary Bates was a star writer at DC at the time; he didn’t work for Marvel until about 1986.

Strangely, Englehart even uses Neal Adams as an example of DC’s “having lost stars to Marvel”—but Neal Adams was not only “not gone from DC” at this moment and not “at Marvel,” but he drew the cover (gorgeously, I might add) for the first JLA issue in Englehart’s run! In fact, between February of 1977 and April of 1978 (cover dates of Englehart’s work for DC during this tenure), I’m pretty certain Adams had more work published by DC than by Marvel.

– Frank Balkin Frank, I fielded your letter to Steve Englehart himself, who offers the following: “I think it’s just in the eye of the beholder. To my mind, a star is someone that commands the biggest public attention. Though the people Frank mentions were undoubtedly stars at the DC level, they were not as big as Marvel stars. People certainly said, “I love Jim Aparo”—I did, ever since his Charlton days—but the comics public en masse was not saying that. In fact, that’s a good example, because I did think Aparo was great right from the start at Charlton, but he was not a star there because the masses didn’t read Charlton. In 1976, the masses read Marvel, by a steadily increasing margin over DC, and that’s where the bright lights congregated ever more rapidly. That’s why Adams went there, and Kane, and the others. If Aparo had gone to Marvel, he would have become bigger; that’s just the way it was. An Aparo Spider-Man…? “(Adams did keep a foot in both camps, but he had been a solid DC guy for years when he decided to make a move; that was telling. And Gil Kane had been a DC-only guy even longer.)

“I don’t denigrate any of the folks Frank mentioned.

DC’s era was long past because of the corporate culture, not the workers-for-hire. Jenette hired me to change the line and the tone, not to replace any individual. DC had to find a new direction, even though they had creators whom many readers and professionals admired, if they were to come back.

“As for DC not admiring their own creators, that goes back to Siegel and Shuster. I could change the line and tone, but not the corporate culture.”

Thank you, Steve, for your perspective.

And re your query to me, Frank: While I’m not aware of there ever being a policy at DC to ignore JLA #144’s “retroactive continuity,” I suspect its inclusion of so many different Silver Age characters whose histories have since been altered made it impossible to fit into the company’s timeline. Fortunately, the miracle of back issues is their timelessness— you can reread those old stories and appreciate them upon their own merit, ignoring their relationship (or lack thereof) to current storylines.

– M.E.

ANOTHER ENGLEHART ENTHUSIAST As usual, BACK ISSUE delivered. Issue #45 was great, especially the Steve Englehart interview. Why his run on JLA isn’t in trade [paperback form] is a freakin’ shame. Englehart and the very talented Dick Dillin made Justice League fun and interesting again.

I totally agree with Mr. Englehart’s and Mr. Riley’s love of John Stewart. Any chance of doing a follow-up article covering Green Lantern #181–200? Much of what Geoff Johns is doing with Green Lantern now was set up by Mr. Englehart. In fact, Englehart gave the GL mythos the same “jolt” he gave JLA. Plus, he showed readers (especially producer Bruce Timm) that John Stewart was (and still is) incredibly cool.

– Wayne C. Brooks P.S.: If you are ever in Alexandria, Virginia, look up AfterTime Comics and ask for me. The first brew’s on me.

Don’t be surprised if I take you up on that offer some time, Wayne. Thanks!

Green Lantern of the early to mid-1980s did contain some influential tales, including a memorable run by the Len Wein/Dave Gibbons team. We’ll get to those stories eventually! (This reminds us

Dead Heroes Issue

•

BACK ISSUE • 79

that it’ll be years before BACK ISSUE runs out of subject matter … after 48 issues, we still have countless comics to explore.)

– M.E.

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM’S READERS As always, I found the most recent issue (#45) of BACK ISSUE entertaining and informative.

My favorite article this time around was the Steve Englehart Justice League interview. JLA is the first comic I ever read, and that run has always been one of my favorites. I don’t know if it was the emphasis on character or the extended story length that really let him stretch out, but all in all, one of the better runs of superhero comics you will find.

The main reason for me writing however is to offer an idea for a “Greatest Stories Never Told” article. I know it’s too late to get in on next issue’s theme issue on the concept, but this is a mystery that I have wondered about for years. Back in the early days of the Fury of Firestorm book, original artist Pat Broderick left the title for what was supposed to be an extended period of time, that ended up being permanent, to illustrate a Firestorm graphic novel to be called Corona. Over the next year or two we received constant updates to the point of telling us that the book was almost finished. The only problem is, it never came out.

What happened? There seems to be a lot of contact with Gerry Conway at the moment in TwoMorrows books, and since he was supposed to be the author of said tome, that would probably be a great place to start. Since the timeline for the book falls squarely in your magazine’s jurisdiction, I for one would be greatly intrigued to find out.

And hey, the book did go for 100 issues, so there are assuredly some Firestorm fans out there who might like to know.

Thank you for your attention, and keep up the fantastic work!

– Brian Martin Brian, our previous attempts to reach Pat Broderick have been unsuccessful, but since he’s a fave of ye editor (and an old pal), there’s nothing more I’d like to see than spotlights on his work in our pages. Pat, if you’re reading this, please contact me!

– M.E.

TM & © DC Comics.

A GOOD LOOK AT THE GOOD BOOK? I just read BI #45 and enjoyed the “Odd Couples” theme. The interview with Steve Englehart was entertaining and informative. I was a JLA fan for years, but gave up on the title when the plots and characters became too interchangeable to hold my interest. I always wondered why they couldn’t give each character a separate personality to make them a little more distinctive in their heroic actions as well as their relationships with their cohorts.

Ironically, I gave up on the title just before Mr. Englehart came along and apparently did just that. Your article provoked enough of an interest in Englehart’s run to make me want to search out his run on the title.

Ah, well, there I go, back to the back-issue bins.

BACK ISSUE is aptly named, by the way. For me, this magazine has contributed to more trips to comics shop back-issue bins than anything else!

Neal Adams’ Silver Age work remains my favorite.

He is always an interesting interviewee, opinionated yet not overbearing, and never misses an opportunity to make himself look good. And within those quotes we occasionally find some amusing contradictions.

In the GL/GA article, Adams says he begged Julius Schwartz to let him draw GL even though Schwartz

was reluctant to add to his workload. Yet, later in the article, he gets defensive about missing #88’s deadline, citing his massive workload.

I’m not saying this to disrespect Adams; I’m simply pointing it out.

Modesty has never been one of Neal Adams’ strong points in interviews, but then an artist of his caliber can afford some immodesty.

His photorealistic style was the cornerstone for comics art as we know it today. To quote Reggie Mantle, “I may be conceited, but I’ve got something to be conceited about.”

I’m looking forward to next issue’s “Greatest Stories Never Told” theme. That’s one of my favorite departments of your magazine. On that subject, have you ever covered DC’s Greatest Stories From the Bible tabloid? Was it intended to be an ongoing series of tabloid editions?

– Michal Jacot Michal, we’ve yet to cover that terrific tabloid of Bible stories, which appeared in DC’s Limited Collectors’ Edition #C-36 (June–July 1975). Since it was drawn over Joe Kubert’s layouts by the remarkable Nestor Redondo (a personal favorite), it’s a project we’ll eventually feature.

– M.E.

THE QUEST FOR EXCELLENCE I continue to be a comic-book fan at 43, probably to the chagrin of friends and family, and find certain stories underappreciated by myself, let alone the rest of society. Courageous artists show us issues that we all have fallen short of addressing correctly and completely. They do this at risk of differing with others, and sometimes later, with themselves.

Controversy and criticism may occur no matter how careful a genius like Denny O’Neil merely exposes and does not try to “dissect or solve the problem.” Dealing with such a matter now, we may find our bias on the wrong side because it is so extreme that our effect is actually opposite of our intent. A greater mistake can be made where the message is so diluted that it is overlooked or dismissed.

Current artists, editors, and especially corporate controllers in the business of this medium need to understand why this matters.

Excellence may not be immediately noticed or profitable, but it will eventually be proven worthwhile, both to those directly involved and the ones fortunate to witness it.

If I may offer more advice from a humble consumer’s standpoint, research into the facts of such issues has infinite potential as fascinating subject material that may help us solve difficult problems for ourselves, no matter how imperfect our rationale is at present. The truth has such an ability to illustrate to people with different viewpoints the many more similarities we share. This is why these stories simply need to be; in light of and to light up the human condition today.

Thank you for a compelling magazine that increases my ability to enjoy an art form that has such a great ability to show a story.

–Ken Templeton

Deathlok TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. BACK ISSUE TM & © TwoMorrows.

80 • BACK ISSUE • Dead Heroes Issue

Next issue: “1970s Time Capsule”!

Relevance in comics, Planet of the Apes, DC Salutes the Bicentennial, Richard Dragon—Kung-Fu Fighter, FOOM and Amazing World of DC Comics, groundbreaking new formats, Fireside Books’ reprints, Fast Willie Jackson, Marvel Comics calendars, Captain Sticky, and a countdown of the Bronze Age’s Biggest Events. With art by and/ or commentary from NEAL ADAMS, FRANK BRUNNER, JOHN BUSCEMA, DICK GIORDANO, BOB LARKIN, PAUL LEVITZ, ELLIOT S! MAGGIN, DOUG MOENCH, DENNY O’NEIL, MIKE PLOOG, and more. Cover-featuring ’70s superstar Deathlok the Demolisher by RICH BUCKLER and JOHN BEATTY! Don’t ask, just BI it! See you in sixty!

Michael Eury, editor

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A/E celebrates 100 issues, and 50 years, of ALTER EGO magazine in a double-size BOOK! ROY THOMAS interviewed by JIM AMASH about ALL-STAR SQUADRON, INFINITY, INC., ARAK, other DC work, and more! Art by PÉREZ, McFARLANE, BUCKLER, ORDWAY, MACHLAN, GIL KANE, COLAN, GIORDANO, and more, plus Mr. Monster, FCA, BUCKLER/ORDWAY cover!

Fox Comics of the 1940s with art by BAKER, FINE, SIMON, KIRBY, TUSKA, FLETCHER HANKS, ALEX BLUM, and others! “Superman vs. Wonder Man” starring EISNER, IGER, MAYER, SIEGEL, and DONENFELD! Part I of an interview with JACK MENDELSOHN, plus FCA, Comic Fandom Archive, MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, and new cover by SpiderMan artist DAVE WILLIAMS!

Spotlight on Green Lantern creators MART NODELL and BILL FINGER in the 1940s, and JOHN BROOME, GIL KANE, and JULIUS SCHWARTZ in 1959! Rare GL artwork by INFANTINO, REINMAN, HASEN, NEAL ADAMS, and others! Plus JACK MENDELSOHN Part II, FCA, MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, and new cover by GIL KANE & TERRY AUSTIN, and MART NODELL!

The early career of comics writer STEVE ENGLEHART: Defenders, Captain America, Master of Kung Fu, The Beast, Mantis, and more, with rare art and artifacts by SAL BUSCEMA, STARLIN, SUTTON, HECK, BROWN, and others. Plus, JIM AMASH interviews early artist GEORGE MANDEL (Captain Midnight, The Woman in Red, Blue Bolt, Black Marvel, etc.), FCA, MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, and more!

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(NOW WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “Thrilling Days of Yesteryear!” The final DAVE STEVENS interview, Rocketeer film discussion with DANNY BILSON and PAUL DeMEO, The Phantom, Indiana Jones, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ heroes, Dominic Fortune, Sherlock Holmes, Man-God, Miracle Squad, 3-D Man, Justice, Inc., APARO, CHAYKIN, CLAREMONT, MILLER, VERHEIDEN, and more, Rocketeer cover by DAVE STEVENS!

(NOW WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “1970s Time Capsule”! Examines relevance in comics, Planet of the Apes, DC Salutes the Bicentennial, Richard Dragon–Kung-Fu Fighter, FOOM, Amazing World of DC, Fast Willie Jackson, Marvel Comics calendars, art and commentary from ADAMS, BRUNNER, GIORDANO, LARKIN, LEVITZ, MAGGIN, MOENCH, O’NEIL, PLOOG, STERANKO, cover by BUCKLER and BEATTY!

Special 50th Anniversary FULL-COLOR issue ($8.95 price) on “Batman in the Bronze Age!” O’NEIL, ADAMS, and LEVITZ roundtable, praise for “unsung” Batman creators JIM APARO, DAVID V. REED, BOB BROWN, ERNIE CHAN, and JOHN CALNAN, Joker’s Daughter, Batman Family, Nocturna, Dark Knight, art and commentary from BYRNE, COLAN, CONWAY, MOENCH, MILLER, NEWTON, WEIN, and more. APARO cover!

Looks at the LEGO MECHA genre of building, especially in Japan! Feature editor NATHAN BRYAN spotlights mecha builders such as SAITO YOSHIKAZU, TAKAYUKI TORII, SUKYU and others! Also, a talk with Brian Cooper and Mark Neumann about their mecha creations. Plus mecha building instructions by SAITO YOSHIKAZU, and our regular columns on minifigure customization, building, event reports, and more!

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