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Volume 1, Number 69 December 2013 Celebrating the Best Comics of the '70s, '80s, '90s, and Beyond!
1994--2013
Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond!
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow DESIGNER Rich Fowlks COVER ARTISTS Dan Jurgens and Ray McCarthy COVER COLORIST Glenn Whitmore COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg
FLASHBACK: A Slow Start for Anniversary Editions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 FLASHBACK: The House of Ideas’ Herculean 100th Issues!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
PROOFREADER Rob Smentek SPECIAL THANKS Jack Abramowitz Frankie Addiego David T. Allen Mark Arnold Mike W. Barr Cary Bates Jerry Boyd KC Carlson Gerry Conway DC Comics Daniel DeAngelo Tom DeFalco Steve Englehart A.J. Fowlks Grand Comic-Book Database Robert Greenberger Ed Hannigan Jack C. Harris Darrell Hempel Heritage Comics Auctions Michael W. Kaluta James Kingman David Anthony Kraft Stan Lee Paul Levitz Larry Lieber Alan Light Jeph Loeb Ralph Macchio
BEYOND CAPES: The “Antiversary” Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Elliot S. Maggin Andy Mangels Franck Martini David Michelinie Mark Millar Doug Moench Pamela Mullin Mike Pigott Charlie Roberts John Romita, Sr. Steve Rude Michael Savene Alex Segura Marie Severin Craig Shutt Walter Simonson Leonard Starr Joe Staton Jim Steranko Roger Stern Bryan D. Stroud David Suiter Dann Thomas Roy Thomas John Trumbull Larry Tye Randall C. Wiggins Len Wein Brett Weiss Marv Wolfman
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FLASHBACK: Adventure Comics #400: Really? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 FLASHBACK: The Brave and the Bold #100, 150, and 200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 FLASHBACK: Superman #300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 OFF MY CHEST: The Siegel/Superman lawsuit by Larry Tye, excerpted from his book, Superman: The High-Flying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 FLASHBACK: Showcase #100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 BEYOND CAPES: Casper #200 and Richie Rich #200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 INTERVIEW: Marv Wolfman on Fantastic Four #200 and Amazing Spider-Man #200 . . . . .44 FLASHBACK: Batman #300 and 400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 BACKSTAGE PASS: Bob Greenberger’s Memories of Detective Comics #500 . . . . . . . . . . .54 FLASHBACK: The Flash #300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 FLASHBACK: Wonder Woman #300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 INTERVIEW: David Anthony Kraft on World’s Finest Comics #300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 FLASHBACK: Superman #400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 FLASHBACK: Green Lantern #200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 FLASHBACK: Marvel’s 25th Anniversary Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 FLASHBACK: Avengers #300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 BACK SEAT DRIVER: Ten Years of BACK ISSUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 COVER GALLERY: BACK ISSUE #1–68 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 BACK TALK: Letters from Readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
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BACK ISSUE™ is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, 118 Edgewood Avenue NE, Concord, NC 28025. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Six-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 Dan Jurgens and Ray McCarthy. Justice League of America and all related characters TM & © DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2013 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Publishing. BACK ISSUE is a TM of TwoMorrows Publishing. ISSN 1932-6904. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING. Tenth Anniversary Issue
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Comic books may have been around since 1935, more or less, but they are incredibly inconsistent at celebrating their milestones. Many a title in the Golden Age actually hit the 100-issue mark with nary a nod to the occasion. Whiz Comics made it to #100 in 1948 and the cover showed the title’s inhabitants about to cut into a mammoth anniversary cake. In 1949, Captain Marvel Adventures blared its 100th anniversary on the C. C. Beck-drawn cover. Both neatly included anniversary-themed stories. There were a few other notables, such as the cake motif being repeated on Real Screen Comics #100 in 1955, while Wonder Woman #100 featured a nine-page special story. Similarly, there were a few special features in Superboy #100, arriving in the late summer of 1962. Around the same time, Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories hit the remarkable #300 mark during its 25th anniversary in 1965, noting the event with a cover and interior article. That same year, Tomahawk #100 could muster only a commemorative pinup.
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As for the stalwart superheroes that survived the Golden Age, Superman #100 reprinted the covers to #1, 25, 50, and 75 (a trick imitated by Batman for #100 and 200). Action Comics #242 didn’t announce it as the issue celebrating the 20th anniversary of the title’s arrival, but the cover story, “The Super Key to Fort Superman,” has been the official demarcation point for when Superman stories joined the Silver Age. When it hit #300, Action featured “Captive of the Red Sun.” It wasn’t until Action got to #400 that it even mentioned the milestone, totally wasting the opportunity with a pedestrian story (despite the Super-Ape on the cover). In between, Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #100 arrived in 1967, which promised the wedding between Jimmy and Lucy Lane—but, of course, that was undone before the book’s end. All Star Comics #50 (Dec. 1949–Jan. 1950) had a rare nod to the passage of time as Jay (Flash) Garrick attended his tenth college reunion, a decade after a hard-water experiment gave him super-speed.
When The Brave and The Bold hit #50, it introduced the team-up format, but that was mere coincidence. Archie Andrews had taken over the MLJ line by the mid-1940s, but as Pep Comics, where he was introduced, and Archie reached their 100th issues, neither noted the event. More recently, Archie Comics has been far savvier with such anniversaries. In 2011, to celebrate the redheaded teen’s 70th birthday in Archie #625, the company donated profits from the special issue to the Ronald McDonald House. Atlas [Marvel] Comics saw just one centennial, Millie the Model in 1961, six months before the world was upended by its new release, Fantastic Four. This “great collector’s item issue” celebrated with the story of how Millie first met Chili. Upstart Marvel Comics took until 1970 before Fantastic Four reached its centennial, which was a normal-sized issue, packed with familiar friends and foes. Before then, Tales to Astonish reached
Robert Greenberger
the centennial mark and used it for a book-length slugfest between co-stars Sub-Mariner and Hulk. In 1968, when the anthology titles were split apart, Tales of Suspense was conveniently renamed Captain America with issue #100, a wonderful present to the fans. It wasn’t until the following year when Amazing Spider-Man reached that plateau before writer/editor Stan Lee used the occasion to shake up the status quo. In this case, he gave Peter Parker four extra arms and handed the book to Roy Thomas to handle for a few months. The Anniversary that may have been the most emotionally interesting story was in Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #100, set in 1972 and featuring the near-assassination of Senator “Reb” Ralston. Other anniversary issues came and went through the 1970s without much impact—and in the pages that follow, BACK ISSUE celebrates its own tenth anniversary by exploring the milestones and misses featured between the covers of many of the anniversary editions of the 1970s and 1980s.
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Action Comics #300 and #400, All Star Comics #50, Batman #100 and #200, Captain Marvel Adventures #100, Jimmy Olsen #100, Real Screen Comics #100, Superboy #100, Superman #100 and #200, Tomahawk #100, Whiz Comics #100, Wonder Woman #100 TM & © DC Comics. Archie #100, Pep Comics #100 TM & © Archie Comics. Captain America #100, Millie the Model #100, Tales to Astonish #100 TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories TM & © Walt Disney Prod.
by
by
Those Merry Marchin’ Marvels Marvel’s heroes take over the world in this 1969 promo piece drawn by “Mirthful” Marie Severin, sent to us by this article’s writer, Jerry Boyd— and colored by BI designer Rich Fowlks. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
It was a wave of excitement that never seemed to relax or relent—that was Marvel Comics in the 1960s. Redefining the superhero genre (and not doing too shabbily with its teen humor and Western titles, also), “Smiling” Stan Lee and his more-than-capable artisans pioneered the ocean depths, the Earth’s interior, other worlds, the edges of outer space, and adjoining dimensions. In a time fraught with changes—a war raging in Southeast Asia, marches and counter-marches, the assassinations of socio-political architects, pop art, color television, and diversification in the phenomenon known widely as rock ’n’ roll—Marvelmania emerged. It was its own “power trip,” and working through its own playbook it “dwarfed” the biggest events in the real world (while respectfully and sensitively incorporating some of them into its mythology). During the ’60s, real-world figures could die or be voted out of office, and space missions could succeed or fail, but Marvel’s larger cast of heroes, villains, and supporting characters
4 • BACK ISSUE • Tenth Anniversary Issue
Jerry Boyd
had shown enough popularity to solidly move into the 1970s. And we fans loved it! How would Stan, Jack, Roy, Jim, Gil, “Jazzy” John, Marie, Sal, Herb, Gary, Dan, Larry, and “Big” John (just to drop a few names) dazzle us as a new decade loomed ahead? The year 1970 was about to begin and the fabulous Fantastic Four, flagship title of the company and the jumping-off point for all modern “masked Marvels,” would celebrate its 100th issue. More excitement was definitely on the way…
MARVELOUS MOMENTS!! Before we jump into the Fantasti-Car in search of adventure and analysis, it behooves us to concentrate briefly on what was termed “the Mighty Marvel Manner.” That phrase graced many a cover and splash page in the 1960s, and it came to mean not only a stylish approach to superhero storytelling, but a way of working between collaborators.
Stan Lee had a Baxter Building full of comics to edit, write, give suggestions to, and look over for art or production discrepancies. Lee had talks with those who wanted to use his characters for cartoons, games, puzzles, buttons, paperbacks, etc. He hired new talent as well. With a full plate always before him, Stan sometimes let his talented co-plotters have their way if he felt their changes/suggestions/concepts were better than his. Jack “King” Kirby (and “King” proved to be an underwhelming title in light of Mr. Kirby’s unleashed imagination, as most of us know) came up with a veritable army of characters replete with the coolest superhero costumes imaginable. Most of these costumes haven’t been improved upon since their inception. Marvel hired enthusiastic but knowledgeable youngsters like Gary Friedrich, Roy Thomas, Barry Smith, and Jim Steranko. Then there were solid veterans like Kirby, John Buscema, Steve Ditko, Larry Lieber, John Romita, and Marie Severin. It all worked. The House of Ideas was a star-spanning party, and aspiring young talents and tested veterans wanted to be a part of the company’s ever-expanding dimensions. Stan would reportedly get caught up in the wonderful wildness of it all when he collaborated with his artists—leaping onto his desk and acting out how Thor or Iron Man or the Thing would perform a particular action. A few offices away, Marvel publisher Martin Goodman had to be pleased. He’d hit marvelous heights before in the ’40s with his own Big Three— Captain America, the Sub-Mariner, and the Human Torch. These men of mystery and others had patriotically marched, run, or flown off to face the Axis aggressors, and sales during the war years were every good. Trends changed after World War II, and sales slumped on most costumed-crimefighter books. Very few titles, regardless of genre, would get to see their 100th issues. No one really minded; it was just the way things were. Books like DC’s All Star Comics simply morphed into All Star Western and would mosey along to the new trend that favored gunslingers. But Goodman’s Kid Colt, Outlaw and Millie the Model would quietly move up and past their centennial issues. Largely, these were exceptions to the rule. Trends dictated where publishers needed to look next. Funny animals, funny teens/working girls, sci-fi aliens/space explorers, cops and robbers, horror-hosted stories, soldier boys, etc.—if readers wanted them, they’d be available. Martin Goodman provided titles for all of these genres. However, for the Marvel Age of Comics, a new sensation had taken root and created, as Stan called them, “the new breed of Marvel reader.” His co-creations were allowed to evolve. They reveled in their powers, sometimes hated them, and improved on them through endurance tests and scientific growth. They had romantic ups and downs, sometimes married, or found new mates. Their problems ran the gamut. Spider-Man had his amazing abilities negated by the common cold; he also broke an arm and believed his radioactive blood was killing him.
Stan the Man Stan Lee and his smile of sweet success in this Marvel office photo taken in 1970. Courtesy of Jerry Boyd. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
Geez, wasn’t crashing our wedding enough for you jerks?? Villains line up, but our heroes just knock ’em down! Lee/Kirby/Sinnott showed us how it was done on page 14 of FF #100. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
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Puppet-Hulk Smash! Sheesh, a robo-Hulk rampages just as much as the real deal! Original art to the final page of FF #100, courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
After years of success with Reed Richards’ crazy crew, a successful/ well-produced cartoon show in ’67–’68, and a wonderful supporting cast, you’d think Stan and Jack would be bouncing off the walls as the time approached to produce Fantastic Four #100 (June 1970). Actually, that wasn’t the case at all. Stan Lee tells BACK ISSUE, “Actually, I wasn’t all that excited. To me, the 50th issue or the 100th issue are just numbers.” So it was just another day on the job? Marie Severin confirms that attitude. According to Marie, “Marvel had a good thing going, but the 100th issues were never a big deal, as I remember. I don’t even recall the Hulk vs. Sub-Mariner story for Tales to Astonish #100! Nothing special … we were getting the books out … and tried to improve on what we’d done before. Stan, Roy, Jack, and the others had good ideas for material and everyone was pleased with the company’s success. But I don’t recall any instances where someone would shout, ‘Hey! Amazing Spider-Man #100 or Avengers #100 is coming out in two months!’ [laughs] We all pretty much took things in stride.” I asked Stan if there had been any other story considerations for that FF centennial. “No, I don’t remember having any other story considerations for that ish,” Lee reveals. “It was the story I wanted to tell and Jack and I told it—simple as that. Loved all the villains showing up—that was the main part of what I wanted to do.” Years before, Stan had said, “Villains make a superhero title.” As editor, he’d made sure that each superhero book boasted a superior roster of sinister standouts to plague the good guys. For FF #100, a good many of those baddies would return, even though they’d be sophisticated puppets fashioned by the Puppet Master and the Mad Thinker. Before this Goliath became bitter after he got milestone epic began, however, the stuck at his ten-foot height in the foursome had been in non-continued Avengers book. Matt (Daredevil) stories for some time. If it seemed Murdock had to invent “Mike like Jack and Stan were somewhat Murdock,” a twin brother, when his “coasting,” it was understandable. alter ego was about to be exposed. After all, there’d been several incredible Thor loved Jane Foster, who was too annuals full of special events, and a mortal for his father to accept as a ton of villains (from the pages of goddess. Audiences flocked to the most of the superhero titles) showed stands and the spinner racks to up to disrupt the wedding of Sue and jack kirby feast on the uniqueness of the Reed in their third summer special Photo by Alan Light. Marvel Universe. Goodman had a in 1965. It didn’t matter. This would trend that would last a while. This new brand of still be an event. Johnny Storm had been mighty crime-smashers wouldn’t be replaced in time by a frustrated when Crystal had had to go home. Proving Tessie the Typist or an Outlaw Kid. They had staying that he’s a hothead, the Human Torch had zoomed off power, and the early ’70s would see a lot of them after her and took on the Inhumans in his desire to get celebrate that elusive benchmark of success—the some answers. The FF followed and all was explained centennial issue. The fabulous Fantastic Four had (Black Bolt had an illness and the healing process opened the doors to a world of fascinating characters. required his cousin’s elemental powers). The youngsters Now, it was time to celebrate! kissed and made up.
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TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
THE WORLD’S GREATEST 100th COMIC MAGAZINE!!
That was Fantastic Four #99. Traveling from the get his solo outings until #101. That other monster Great Refuge with Crystal (who was temporarily standing title, Journey into Mystery, had the Thunder God in for the Invisible Girl during Sue’s pregnancy), the as its up-front star in its 100th issue, but the mighty team’s ship is ambushed and they have to move Thor hadn’t been around that long. Nothing to across a wilderness “peopled” by replicas of their evil celebrate—Thor’s success might’ve been shortfoes. The Frightful Four, minus Medusa, Sub-Mariner lived. But by the 200th issue, there was plenty to (based on the earlier, more villainous version, no celebrate! doubt), Dr. Doom, the Red Ghost and his This celebration was a revisiting of Thor Super-Apes, Dragon Man, and many more #128 (May 1966), to a degree. In the menaces showed up at intervals only to backup feature, “Tales of Asgard,” Stan be get smashed, incinerated, blown and Jack ended the story of the gods away, whipped out of sight, etc. by with the revelations of Ragnarok, the the FF plus one. Twilight of the Gods. Jack Kirby Desperate, their two human, loved the Norse gods. He once said, hidden adversaries attempt to “Thor was an ancient myth. What I throw their “masterpiece,” the Hulk did was make him saleable again.” (!!), into the fray. The Hulk-puppet He and Lee took what they liked rises, and true to his namesake’s from the various legends and suited nature, loses control! The Puppet them for their needs. Master attempts to subdue him Readers liked this retooling. with one of his blasters, but misses Ragnarok was revealed by a gerry conway … and blows up their laboratory hideout. Their transport destroyed before the battle, the bushed quintet hitches a ride with a US fighter plane, and Mr. Fantastic sums it all up with praise of his team. “The Long Journey Home,” the issue’s story title, has ended. Comic lore has it that Jack Kirby and/or Stan Lee flirted with the idea of making FF #100 a doublesized issue but let the notion go before production began. As revolutionary as the pair had been with their concepts, this one (if true) would have to wait a while. In the latter part of the ’70s and into the ’80s, however, double-sized anniversary issues would be the norm at Marvel and DC. Once again, Lee and Kirby were on the cutting edge. What added to the coolness of this particular issue was that Kirby and Lee had set the template and would be the only original co-creators to work on any of the ’70s centennials. Other Marvel titles would see their 100th issues in the next few years. Like FF #1, FF #100 was only the beginning.
Bad Blood Odin reads Loki the riot act at the conclusion of Thor #200. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
WHAT COULD BE BIGGER THAN RAGNAROK?? Following the success of the FF, Goodman gave the green light to Stan to come up with more problem-riddled adventurers, and new heroes were conceived. Over time, the Ant-Man and the Wasp’s adventures in Tales to Astonish got taken over by the Hulk and Sub-Mariner. TTA’s 100th issue came out in the summer of ’68 and featured a terrific slugfest between the two anti-heroes. Tales of Suspense showcased Iron Man and Captain America. Stan might’ve reasoned that the shield-slinger (being an earlier Timely Comics success) deserved to see his 100th issue, so Iron Man instead got two #1 issues, one with Subby and one to himself in 1968. Strange Tales #100 came and went without fanfare in the early part of the decade, and the Human Torch didn’t
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prophetess, and the immortals of Asgard trembled as she spoke. A time of chaos would envelop the land of the Aesir, and finally the evil ones, led by Loki, would attack the gods one last time. In this battle, all would fall, but the noblest spirits would rise again in new bodies, free from the terrors of the old world. Stan did the retooling of this tale in Thor #200 (June 1972), expanding beautifully on it. Kirby had his own set of new gods over at DC by then, and ironically (on a spinner rack nearby), his Fourth World/New Gods magnum opus was somewhat “following” the end of the old gods. But Stan’s story, with sensational art by John Buscema and John Verpoorten, wasn’t quite the end of the Norsemen. Pluto, Lord of the Underworld over in the Mt. Olympus scheme of things, wanted to claim the “deceased soul” of Odin himself, supposedly slain by the Mangog in Thor #198. Naturally, Thor, Sif, the Warriors Three, and Balder said him “NAY!” and a titanic
battle ensued. But Thor was rendered unconscious by the end of #199 and it was looking really bad for him as Pluto raised his death-axe over the Thunderer’s head. The bicentennial issue’s story continued with regular scribe Gerry Conway, who trotted out three ancient witches to see what was happening with the Asgardians. They saw Pluto raise his axe, and then Stan came in with his talented artists and went back over Ragnarok, a tale that was as big as it gets for the gods! For Gerry Conway, this issue, too, wasn’t very special: “Really don’t remember. As far as I can recall, regarding Thor #200 and Stan’s involvement, it probably had something to do with an unpublished Thor story Stan had scripted, rather than original work by Stan specifically for that issue—but I could be wrong.” But perhaps thenpublisher Lee wanted to be part of the Mighty One’s special issue and had chosen to expand on the previous yarn for the occasion. I asked Stan why the topic of Ragnarok was chosen for #200. His answer: “Honestly, I’d love to answer this, but I simply don’t remember! However, the topic of Ragnarok is such a big, john buscema major subject that it’s only natural to be used for a big, special issue.” And that makes sense to me. After Conway’s framing sequence, Stan sets up the end times of Earth and Asgard, when men and gods are beset by confusion and mindless conflicts. Warriors either turn to their war-god Thor or the evil Loki. Loki has also allied himself with the eternal enemies of the Aesir—the trolls, Frost Giants, etc. Heimdall sounds the final alarm as the evil ones storm the Rainbow Bridge toward Odin’s kingdom. Thor’s last battle with Loki is interrupted by the greater enemy, the unleashed Midgard Serpent. The energies released consume good and evil alike and Surtur, the fire demon-god, saturates all that is left with flames. An aside: I bought this issue when it came out and it shook me up! Thor and my heroes DIED (off-panel, but still incredible)! (And, yes, I missed out on the earlier story drawn/co-plotted by Kirby.) After being told their ends, the gods were mollified by Odin himself. “A time must come when all shall fall—but only some will rise again. Only those who are deemed … worthy!” (Loki’s shocked face is shown during this dialogue.) Stan went back to the Norse legends to clean it all up. For Conway’s part, a mystic bolt erupts from the mysterious crone’s hand and shatters Pluto’s axe. It seems the Thunderer has a destiny to fulfill, starting with putting a smack-down on Pluto in the continued struggle that a revived Odin ends in #201. Happy endings … right?
One Left Undone Hela, Goddess of Death, teamed up with Thor to defeat Pluto in Thor #199 and 201. “Big” John Buscema left us this unfinished effort with the two eternals; courtesy of Jerry Boyd. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
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100 BULLETS!
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE—FOR THE 100th TIME!! “Rascally” Roy Thomas would conclude another one of his mildly magnificent multi-parters in Avengers #100 (June 1972). Barry [Windsor-] Smith returned as the title’s penciler for #98–100, and the storyline begins with a Mohawk-sporting rabble-rouser called Warhawk bringing feverish crowds to violence at the UN building where a Red Chinese delegation is addressing the world. The Assemblers decide to help out the police, only to fall under Warhawk’s “spell.” Rick Jones and Captain America join in with the taunting crowds to do in the commies. The Vision and Thor are more than mortal, however, and therefore immune to the wave of violent paranoia engulfing their teammates and the mobs around them. Hawkeye had turned up missing at the end of the Kree-Skrull War (#97), but re-emerged in this issue with a mask-less outfit. “Barry talked me into that (never cared much for it),” Roy Thomas recalls, “but otherwise he merely expanded on the general plotline I worked out … maybe we discussed it verbally.” As the plot thickened, the Black Knight’s Merlin-forged blade had been retrieved by the sinister God of War, Ares. Teaming up with Asgard’s Enchantress, Ares uses the mystic sword to turn most of the Olympian immortals into crystal so that they cannot interfere with his dreams of ruling Mt. Olympus and Earth. The Enchantress has a thing against Lord Odin in her part of the Marvel Universe, so she hopes Ares will eventually turn on the gods of her world. With a bevy of
TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
Let’s transcend time and space again and look at Marvel’s lone all-new Western centennial. Goodman’s Rawhide Kid wasn’t a reprint title like Kid Colt, Outlaw or Two-Gun Kid had become. (Two-Gun Kid #100 was all reprints, sadly.) As already mentioned, Kid Colt got his centennial issue in the ’60s without much fanfare. But Larry Lieber had been writing and penciling the Rawhide Kid since RK #41 in 1964. Though Stan and Jack created this Silver Age incarnation of the Kid, Lee’s brother Larry had taken over when Kirby got too busy with the super-guys, and he made the character his own. Along the trail, he’d come up with two siblings young Johnny Bart never knew he had! The three boys had been separated early on—one grew up to be a beefy blond-haired rancher, another was a dark-haired mustachioed gambler, and the Kid was a redheaded hellion. Naturally, all three brothers are good with their Colts. And naturally, a dirty sidewinder shows up to unite them. I asked Mr. Lieber why he chose to reunite the Bart (renamed Clay) brothers for Rawhide Kid #100 (June 1972). His answer: “I don’t remember.” (Notice a pattern here?) I followed up by asking him if working on RK’s anniversary issue was special. “I didn’t care at all. Marvel would play up the 100th … but we were all professionals. We just worked on the books and tried to make the stories better than we did in the months larry lieber before. Overall, I enjoyed working on Rawhide. He was all mine and I got to write my favorite Western movies into the stories.” Courtesy of And he did it well. Wikimedia Commons.
Brotherly Love (top) Original cover art to Rawhide Kid #100 (June 1972), signed by its artist, Larry Lieber. (bottom) The fighting Clay brothers battle back to back on this page from RK #100. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
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titans, centaurs, etc. to back him up, Ares subdues the demi-god Hercules and hurls him from their god-world. (Hercules was not turned to crystal since he was born of a mortal woman.) The trip to Earth gives the strongman amnesia, and Hawkeye tells his bewildered teammates how and where he found him after both heroes end up working briefly in a travelling show. Kratos and Bia are giant titans working for Ares—they storm Avengers Mansion to capture Hercules for their master, but Avengers take care of their own, and it’s battle time. The titans win, unfortunately, and the Prince of Power is transported back with them to Mt. Olympus. Of course, it’s going to take a mighty effort to lay siege to a world of gods, and all the Avengers will be needed, they determine, to win a war against Ares and his hordes. “Whatever Gods There Be!” was Roy’s title for the 100th spectacular and beneath an extraordinary Smith cover, the Avengers assembled for the big one! Was the Rascally One overly excited to be the writer of that issue? “Not much was made of #100 issues in those days,” Roy notes. “Stan and Jack just had the FF fight all their old villains, and he gave Spider-Man six arms. For Avengers #100, I decided to go the opposite route of the FF and bring in everyone who by then had been an
The Summoning (top) The Avengers began the assembling bit in this stunning series of panels by “Bashful” Barry Windsor-Smith, from Avengers #100 (June 1972). Courtesy of Jerry Boyd. (bottom) The Swordsman got to hang out with the heroes for once in Avengers #100. Steve Rude provides BI readers with this impressive portrait of the late Avenger. Thanks, Steve! TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
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Fury’s Howling Cameos (left) Guest-stars galore pepper this Gary Friedrich/Dick Ayers/Mike Esposito page from Sgt. Fury #100 (July 1972). Look closely at panel 5 and you’ll also see the issue’s creative team. (right) Hey, even the Howling Commandos have gotta eat…! An undated pencil study of Fury and the boys by Dick Ayers, courtesy of Jerry Boyd.
Avenger, but otherwise it was pretty much business Ralston is hit. With a number of superpowered as usual.” Still, it was terrific business being done! guests around, you might think the assassin would The Black Knight and the Hulk came back, and be apprehended right away. But this was Fury’s the Swordsman even dropped in! (True Believers who book, and he and his fighting men jump into went back a while would recall that the Swordsman action. The sniper gets chased out into the streets was briefly an Avenger, sworn in back in #20 in 1965.) and another Howler, Izzy Cohen, is seriously After an impressive gathering of Earth’s Mightiest injured. The sniper is stopped and the two men Heroes, everyone got clued in and time and space show signs that their recovery won’t take long. were shattered, Avengers-style. One battling band Was this a special occasion for “Groovy” Gary would journey to Olympus, while another would Friedrich? His responses are different from most of his gary friedrich combat Ares’ army’s assault on Earth. Between the fellow Bullpenners: “It was indeed a special occasion. Photo by Luigi Novi. two factions, Ares and his fellows are beaten, with I loved writing Fury and wanted to do something both Thor and the Black Knight putting the big licks on Ares simulta- really special for the 100th birthday.” I asked why he set the story in neously. The Knight also gets his sword back, and order is restored. 1972. “I set it in the ’70s because Roy and I would have been just kids With such a big cast, some heroes took back seats to others, naturally, if we set it in the ’40s. I thought it worked out really well … and fans but Roy and Barry did a great job in balancing it all. I asked Roy if this seem to agree.” By this time, of course, Lee and Thomas were former super-storyline was one he’d put aside for the occasion. “I hadn’t ‘saved’ Fury writers and Roy was editor-in-chief, so the question had to be any special plot for #100,” Roy explains. Maybe the centennial issues asked, “Did either give you any suggestions for the 100th issue?” weren’t that special to the creators who made them, but to fans—the According to Friedrich, “I talked with all three about the story and experiences could be (to use a Stan Lee description) “senses-shattering!” picked each of their brains a bit, I’m certain.” Seeing Col. Fury, Gabe Jones, and Dum-Dum Dugan as IT’S HOWLING TIME!! S.H.I.E.L.D. agents was nothing out of the In some ways, Sgt. Fury and his Howling ordinary for Marvel readers in the early Commandos #100 (July 1972) was the ’70s, but seeing present-day Howlers was most celebratory of the Marvel anniversaries. indeed something special. Gary and Dick The story was set in present time and the got it right in their usual admirable fashion. crack unit was seated on a dais, lauded by an audience of fans, Martin Goodman (!), MATT MURDOCK AT 100! Roy Thomas, the FF (Reed and Ben had The Man without Fear had the rare luxury seen action during WWII), Captain to revisit and retell his origin for posterity America (of course), and even Dick Ayers in Daredevil and the Black Widow #100 and Gary Friedrich, the artist/writer team (June 1973). The two heroes went into for most of the run. Stan Lee handled crossover mode previously by helping the MC duties and exchanged some the Avengers out on a case. Natasha had lighthearted banter with Col. Nick Fury, remained with them and become an who praised his former brothers-in-arm. Avenger. Matt Murdock borrowed an Unfortunately, a sniper’s perched above Avengers Quinjet and had gone back to the proceedings, and Sen. Robert “Reb” San Francisco, hoping to get his mind off Tenth Anniversary Issue
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TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
Alice Cooper, He Ain’t (top) Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner meets DD on this page from Daredevil #100 (June 1973). Words by Steve Gerber, art by Gene Colan and Frank Giacoia. (bottom) Daredevil crashes through in this ’04 pencil piece by Gene Colan, courtesy of Jerry Boyd. Note the Black Widow and several of DD’s foes in the shards of glass. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
of his lover for a while. No such luck—there’s a robbery in progress. DD breaks it up and finds the burglary was taking place in the offices of Rolling Stone, the pop-music newspaper/magazine. Though he’s suffered a few hallucinations beforehand, Matt agrees to an interview with Jann Wenner, the editor. And there are some questions he just won’t answer, origin-wise, even though we readers know about it. More hallucinations occur (bringing back memories of the Scarlet Swashbuckler’s worthy stable of super-baddies), and when RS’s staff’s memories fade out on them, DD takes it to (cue music) THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO (I couldn’t resist) to meet up with Angar, the Screamer, a new baddie who’s distorting reality with a superpowered voice box! With all due respect to its writer, the late Steve “Baby” Gerber, the story didn’t really grab me as special, but Gene “the Dean” Colan’s art was beautiful— and since he’d done most of the interiors for DD since #20 in ’66, it was great to see him on this one. I got Gene to sign DD #100 for me years ago. He noted, “Jann was a guest-star, I believe, because of Steve … because Jann was a Marvel fan. He’d given us some good press a year or two before that. I really enjoyed being part of this issue. I always loved Daredevil!” Wenner had spotlighted Marvel in Rolling Stone in ’71 with a nice Herb Trimpe-drawn Hulk cover and an interior article, so this was a pleasant and different way to return the favor. All in all, this was a good one.
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TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
SPIDER-MAN AND THE SECRET SIX!! Peter Parker had had enough. In the issues leading up to Amazing Spider-Man #100 (Sept. 1971), he’d watched his love Gwen Stacy leave for England and step out of his life. The Iceman, Sam Bullitt, and the Green Goblin had made life tough for the Web-Slinger. Our hero decided it was time to take an injection of a serum he’d invented. Hopefully, it’d negate his spider-powers and then he could “live” and perhaps marry Gwen and have a normal life. He took the shot … but the best-laid plans of arachnids and men, etc. turned literally into a nightmare. In his delirium, SpiderMan took on the Kingpin, Electro, the Scorpion, and so on. And when he awoke, he indeed felt different—he had SIX arms, like a spider! It was a stunning cliffhanger and indicative of the myriad possibilities Lee had plumbed in the 1960s regarding his tragic heroes. Stan Lee doesn’t recall much about that one, however. Stan says, “I don’t think I wrote that issue.” Roy begs to differ: “Stan wrote it. I think the six arms were Stan’s idea. I know I was chagrined to be stuck with it [in #101–102], and I don’t think Gil [Kane] and I did much with it. I suggested to Gil that we do some things to show him being awkward because of them, and Gil did one little bit, but that was it. I think we blew the eight-limbed thing, but it was mostly because we were mainly concerned with the Morbius storyline, which we liked.” “Jazzy” John Romita was Spidey’s “main man” at the time. On #100, he tells us, “Spider-Man was, as I recall, having a massive health reaction to an injection … I suggested it triggers this change in him. Gil’s sketch had him sprout two more legs as well as two more arms … very awkward to draw and crazy. I just added two arms and I may have been the only one who thought it was clever.” So again, BI fans, “the Mighty Marvel Manner” came through— it was a true collaborative effort with shared concepts! Underneath a fabulous Romita cover, ASM #100 was beautifully realized. It encompassed the angst of the company’s single-most popular character, got in cameos of supporting stars and villains, and added a twist ending worthy of the best conclusions found in The Twilight Zone … and Amazing Adult Fantasy!!
Now, That’s an Anniversary Cover! (right) Actually, it’s a recreation, done by John Romita, Sr. in 1994, revisiting his cover for the landmark Amazing Spider-Man #100 (Sept. 1971). Courtesy of Heritage. (left) Gil “Sugar” Kane’s art that became a cover for The Comic Reader was based upon Romita’s Spidey pose from #100’s cover. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
I saved the Web-Head’s issue for last because the following issue (the first to have another writer other than Lee) ushered in a new direction for Marvel. Hero-monsters were quickly coming in vogue. (Over at Warren Publications, Vampirella was already a smash.) Michael Morbius was a vampire created by science. He’d prove to have staying power, also, and continue the Marvel brand of excellence. Of him, Roy observes, “Stan didn’t give Gil and me any ideas about what to do with the many-armed situation … except that he wanted it ended by the time he came back to the strip, four issues later. He did say, though, that because of the just-made Comics Code changes, he wanted us to have Spidey’s opponent in #101 be a vampire. Gil and I leaned toward reviving Dracula or someone like him, but Stan said he wanted more of a supervillain vampire, which led to Morbius. In some way, Gil’s and my desire to introduce Dracula may have influenced Stan to launch Tomb of Dracula not long afterward, although Stan could have easily have come up with that idea without us.” In the ’60s and ’70s, ideas flowed and Marvel kept growing. Stan the Man left the Marvel madmen to their own devices, and that practice paid big dividends. He adds, “I probably wasn’t aware that those were the 100th issues! And even if they were, I’m sure I woulda left the plots to Roy, Steve, Larry, and Gary. When other
writers were doing books, I tried not to interfere unless I felt something was very wrong.” Editor Thomas also let his writers find their own way. While memories have dimmed, the magnificence manifested in those awesome anniversary epics have not, and we have our hardworking Bullpen “heroes” to thank for a truly marvelous time in comic-magazine history.
roy thomas
Special thanks to all those contributed. This article is dedicated to Kirby, Colan, Gerber, Buscema, Kane, and Verpoorten—heroes all.
Photo by Luigi Novi.
JERRY BOYD has written numerous articles for fanzines The Jack Kirby Collector, BACK ISSUE, Alter Ego, The Harveyville Fun Times!, and the Spooky Fearbook. He’s proud to have interviewed numerous professionals in the industry, as well, for those publications. Jerry is a professional schoolteacher and an aspiring screenwriter living in Southern California. As often as he can, he sends copies of rare art to BI for other readers/fans to enjoy.
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Throughout this anniversary issue of BACK ISSUE you are going to read, or most likely have already read, some stirring accounts of many of the best anniversary issues that the Bronze Age of Comics has to offer. This article, I am politely forewarning you, is going to be different. Yes, I, too, have a small wealth of DC anniversary issues to present and discuss, but there is an intriguing, disparate side to them that slowly unveiled itself as I perused and researched the individual books. While mostly celebratory issues, these comics still, in one way or another, go against the grain of traditional comic-book anniversaries. They are, in order of publication, Our Army at War #200 (Dec. 1968), House of Mystery #200 (Mar. 1972), House of Secrets #100 (Sept. 1972), Star Spangled War Stories #200 (June–July 1976), Our Army at War #300 (Jan. 1977), G.I. Combat #200 (Mar. 1977), The Unexpected #200 (July 1980), Ghosts #100 (May 1981), Weird War Tales #100 (June 1981), House of Mystery #300 (Jan. 1982), Sgt. Rock #400 (May 1985), and The Warlord #100 (Dec. 1985). Quite the eclectic bunch: five mystery comics, five war comics, one war and mystery comic, and an adventure comic thrown in to make it an even dozen. So sit right back, relax, and enjoy this brief respite from superhero universes as we explore other comicbook genres, and I explain what makes these anniversary issues also “antiversary” issues.
OUR ARMY AT WAR #200 (Dec. 1968) Editor: Joe Kubert If you take away the “200th Anniversary Issue” banner from the cover of Our Army at War #200, then the book becomes no different than any other issue of OAAW. While “The Troubadour” is a fine Sgt. Rock and Easy Company story (set during World War II, as are all Rock stories by Robert Kanigher), equally good are OAAW #199’s “Nazi Ghost-Wolf” and OAAW #201’s “The Graffiti Writer.” The short, somewhat amusing comic strips, the two-page Battle Album, and the backup tale (in this
At the Earth’s Core Although we ran this in black and white way back in BI #25, here’s another look— in glorious color—at Mike Grell’s cover painting for The Warlord #100 (Dec. 1985). Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.
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by
Jim Kingman
case, “The Ace and the Joker,” with art by George Evans and set during World War I) were all ongoing features. There is a Sgt. Rock and Easy Company pinup page by Kubert, but it’s not touted as part of the anniversary, and could have appeared as a bonus in any issue. Interesting, though, is the letters column, where a number of readers wrote in to point out and scold editor Kubert that OAAW #197’s Rock story, “Last Exit for Easy,” should not have had Easy Company and the Kid Guerillas (children in combat) of Unit 3 at Dunkirk in 1940 as the United States did not enter the war until 1941.
TM & © DC Comics.
HOUSE OF MYSTERY #200 (Mar. 1972) Editor: Joe Orlando This issue and the one following it, House of Secrets #100, are prime examples of “antiversary” issues. There are no “anniversary” announcements on either cover. One book quickly acknowledges its anniversary on the splash page; the other makes no mention of it at all. Still, they are both special, because at this point every mystery book published at DC was special. The easing of some restrictions in the Comics Code Authority in 1971 allowed DC’s mystery comics—essentially a horror line, but “horror” was still a no-no term—an edge they hadn’t had in years. Also that year, DC had started recruiting a number of talented Filipino illustrators who were beginning to make an impressive artistic impact in 1972. House of Mystery #200 and House of Secrets #100 are fine models of a mystery line just entering its peak, an impressive creative plateau that sustained itself unquestionably for three years, arguably five. Similar to Our Army at War #200, if you remove the opening line of Cain’s introduction on the splash page, where he welcomes readers to the 200th issue of House of Mystery, the book is no different in style and mood than HOM #199 or 201. Different stories, of course, but they’re interchangeable; for example, HOM #201’s “The Demon Within,” a classic tale climaxing with the lobotomy of a young boy who has been michael w. kaluta terrorizing the neighborhood as a demon, could just as easily been published in #200. The first tale in HOM #200, “The Beast’s Revenge,” with art by Michael W. Kaluta, is certainly anniversary-worthy material. While Kaluta’s seductive, atmospheric artwork appeared frequently on DC’s mystery line covers throughout the 1970s, it was rare for him to pencil and ink an interior horror story (although his exquisite work could be found at that time on “Carson of Venus” in the back of DC’s Korak, Son of Tarzan). Kaluta’s art enhances the simple tale of a brother’s evil desire to rid himself of his sister to acquire the family land. But here’s the twist: The woman is peacefully at one with the animals, not only those on the farm, but also with the mountain lion that lives in the hills nearby and the rats that the brother has hidden under the hay in the barn. Though John, the brother, has planned an elaborate scheme to murder his sister, an argument between the two gets violently out of hand and the sister is killed sooner than expected. This does not sit too well with the animals, and try as he may to escape them, John does not make it through the night. This seven-page story is briskly paced, with excellent dialogue. And for the reader there’s a true mystery—who wrote the story, as no credit is given. “I remember the job,” chimes in Kaluta. “The only memorable point for me: it was my first-ever comic-book cover!”
In the Doghouse The Michael W. Kaluta-drawn “The Beast’s Revenge” made the otherwise ordinary 200th issue of House of Mystery a special edition indeed. Although uncredited in the comic, the story’s scribe, according to the Grand Comic-Book Database (www.comics.org), is John Albano. TM & © DC Comics.
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House of Unknown Soldier (top) From House of Secrets #100’s “Rest in Peace,” by Jack Oleck and Alfredo Alcala. (bottom) Mlle. Marie drops in on the Unknown Soldier in Star Spangled War Stories #200, by David Michelinie and Gerry Talaoc. TM & © DC Comics.
TM & © DC Comics.
HOUSE OF SECRETS #100 (Sept. 1972) Editor: Joe Orlando House of Secrets #100 is a rarity as far as anniversary issues go, and that’s saying something because most of this article is about rarities. This issue, though, is the topper. There is absolutely no mention of it being an anniversary book. Not on the cover; not on the splash page where Abel, the book’s narrator, introduces the issue; not in any of the stories; and not in the letters column (the House’s big announcement is a call for a Caretaker). It’s still issue #100, at least (DC couldn’t avoid the sequential numbering), but with the exception of the first appearance of Swamp Thing in HOS #92, the short-lived Patchwork Man series in #140 (done in one issue, and prompting the book’s hiatus for several months), and a Dr. 13/ Phantom Stranger team-up in #150 (there, an anniversary theme, only 50 issues late), it is no different than any other issue of House of Secrets published during the Bronze Age.
Editor: Joe Orlando The three-part Unknown Soldier story that began in Star Spangled War Stories #198, guest-starring World War II French resistance leader Mlle. Marie, concluded here in #200. The disfigured Soldier’s exploits at this time were at the tail end of writer David Michelinie’s excellent stint on the book, and I highly recommend his entire tenure, which ran from SSWS #183 through #203. [Editor’s note: See BI #37 for the history of the Unknown Soldier.] Artist Gerry Talaoc’s distinct, energetic style surprisingly complements the darker, more introverted tone Michelinie gave the character, and it was certainly more critically received than Talaoc’s controversial delineation of the Phantom Stranger. Notes Michelinie, “The only way you could tell that Star Spangled War Stories #200 was an anniversary issue would be to look at the little number in the upper right corner of the cover. In 1976, there was very little prestige associated with war comics, and in general neither pros nor readers paid them much attention. The fledgling comic-book fan base was far more interested in costumed superheroes than soldiers, cowboys, detectives, and other staples that had filled four-color pages in david michelinie the 1940s and ’50s. So there was no hoopla, no double-sized issue; the lead story wasn’t even expanded to feature length. About the only tip of the hat to the special nature of that issue was an Enemy Ace backup story by Joe Kubert, Ace being a favorite of the relatively small war books readership, and Joe being a favorite of everyone. We just tried to make the book emotional and entertaining—pretty much what we tried to do every issue.” The return of Enemy Ace in this issue is a treat (based on an idea by Allan Asherman, to note full credits), although only five pages. There’s also a brief history of Star Spangled War Stories in the letters column, where the 200th anniversary is actually acknowledged in detail. Finally, though without any fanfare, we have an anniversary issue that actually feels like an anniversary issue. 16 • BACK ISSUE • Tenth Anniversary Issue
TM & © DC Comics.
STAR SPANGLED WAR STORIES #200 (June–July 1976)
Editor: Joe Kubert Our Army at War #300 takes its anniversary status a step further and incorporates the issue number into the main story. However, it’s not an unprecedented tactic. Kanigher’s Rock story, “300th Hill,” with art by Joe Kubert, blatantly lifts the theme from his own story in The Flash #200, published years earlier, wherein he placed the anniversary number in specific locations and dialogue throughout the story. The gimmick of using 300 threatens to become annoying early on (300th helmet, 300 paces), especially if you knew Kanigher had done this before, but when the final 300 is announced, and it’s the number of men Easy Company has lost up to that point during World War II, the reader is left with the pain Rock has endured throughout the series. This is classic Kanigher: He never dwelled on emotional moments like this, he simply banged you over the head with it and moved on or, as in this particular case, delivered it as a final jolt. DC’s war books were set primarily during World War II (with World War I the runner-up, but still far behind), a war many of the older writers and artists could relate to, despite Vietnam being closer to home as the latter half of the war occurred during the first half of the Bronze Age. (Vietnam was a controversial war, however, and not as easy to grasp on a good vs. evil level, if at all.) Despite the profuseness of conflict and personal hardship the World War II setting has to offer, I’ve always found just as compelling the stories set in other historical military arenas. The backup tale in Our Army at War #300, “Numero Uno” by Kanigher and artist Lee Elias, provides us with just such an occasion. Set circa 1936 during the Spanish Civil War, a popular young bullfighter/active rebel is forced to perform before the military he opposes to discourage the hope of his people. If he refuses, innocents will perish. Relying on skill and honor, the bullfighter makes a stand against the military then performs a final act of martyrdom. The story’s power lies in its spare-ness and brevity, while Elias makes it subtly cinematic. There is a treasure drove of these kinds of stories in the back of DC’s war books during the Bronze Age. Our Army at War became Sgt. Rock with issue #302. While it seems more natural for the name change to occur at #300, it does give #302 an edge of distinction (not to mention that #301 is notable as the last issue of Our Army at War, which makes for three historically distinct issues in a row).
THE UNEXPECTED #200 (July 1980) Editor: Jack C. Harris The early 1980s brought about, unfortunately, the end of the DC mystery line, a long, slow death-knell that saw the cancellations of Secrets of Haunted House, Ghosts, The Unexpected, Weird War Tales, and House of Mystery. There was a valiant attempt to resuscitate the line with ongoing features at the start of the decade, two of which I can spotlight in this article. We’ll begin with Johnny Peril in The Unexpected. First, a little backstory: The DC Implosion of 1978 brought about the cancellations of House of Secrets and The Witching Hour (15 issues shy of a 100th anniversary of its own), but instead of placing Abel, the Three Witches, and their respective stories in comics limbo (or on an inventory
The Return of Johnny Peril Original art to writer Mike W. Barr’s Johnny Peril tale from The Unexpected #200 (July 1980), by artists Tuska and Smith. Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.
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G.I. COMBAT #200 (Mar. 1977) Editor: Murray Boltinoff What I find most interesting about G.I. Combat #200 is that it’s the last issue of the book in the standard 36-page format for almost a decade. With G.I. Combat #201, published in January of 1977, the book became an 84-page, all-new-material Dollar Comic, part of publisher Jenette Kahn’s initiative to give comic-book readers more bang for their buck and keep the newsstand vendors interested in the shrinking-by-degree comics market. Yes, that doesn’t say a lot about the content of G.I. Combat #200, but I’ll remedy that by noting that the book does celebrate the title’s anniversary. “The Tank That Died Twice!,” by Kanigher and artist Sam Glanzman, guest-stars Sgt. Rock, the Losers (Captain Storm, Johnny Cloud, and Gunner and Sarge, then appearing in Our Fighting Forces), and Mlle. Marie in a rare “format” for Jeb Stuart and the members of the Haunted Tank—a book-length tale. Stuart notes at story’s end to his ghostly guardian, the Confederate General Jeb Stuart, that it’s the squad’s 200th mission, although I’m not sure if it’s the Haunted Tank’s 200th published mission.
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OUR ARMY AT WAR #300 (Jan. 1977)
To Infinity and Beyond From the Heritage archives, the original Rich Buckler/Steve Mitchell art to Ghosts #100’s infinity cover. Note at right the printed version, colored by Tatjana Wood. TM & © DC Comics.
shelf), they were given a new home in The Unexpected, I did over in Secrets of Haunted House with Bob Rozakis which became a Dollar Comic. When The Unexpected and Mr. E) and had started to work on Johnny Peril downsized to the standard format in 1979, it with Mike W. Barr. After Mike turned in his first became kind of crowded. script, the powers-that-be closed the door To alleviate this, DC just made it on us for new material. However, reader more crowded with the return of reaction was pretty good on the Johnny Peril in The Unexpected #200; inclusion of Johnny, so a few months however, they did add six pages of later, we were able to continue it. story and art to the standard 17 for It ran for a good nine issues or so.” this special issue, which was nice. “If I recall correctly,” Barr says, “After the cutback in the Dollar “the trademark on the name ‘Johnny Comics,” says editor Jack C. Harris, “I Peril’ was about to expire, so orders was left with quite a bit of inventory. were given for a brief revival of the There were quite a few months where character and—more to the point— I wasn’t permitted to plot and/or buy his logo in (and on) the anniversary any more new stories for Unexpected. issue #200 of The Unexpected. Editor jack c. harris I had to use up the inventory from Harris asked me to write the story the Dollar Comics as well as the stories perhaps because I was a mystery fan left over from such titles as Witching Hour and House of and Peril was a plainclothes character, not a superhero, Secrets. The only things new were the covers. I had and perhaps because I was sometimes a critic of the, wanted an ongoing cover series for Unexpected (such as shall we say, ‘inevitability’ of the plots of the mystery books. The story was plotted, the script written, with only one major setback: a plot hole required the last two-thirds or so of the story to be rewritten with no further payment. I chalked it up to professional duespaying and did the rewrite, cursing every panel under my breath, though the rewrite did make it a better story. “It was my first time working with George Tuska, who did a swell job on the pencils, as did Bob Smith on the inks,” continues Barr. “The alert fan of Arthur Conan Doyle will find a reference to one of Sherlock Holmes’ untold cases early on. Maybe the return of Johnny Peril goosed sales, [since] the character was returned to series status five issues later. Peril was the first series I had the chance to stretch my legs on, to try long-term characterization and extended plotting. And it was good of Jack to take such a chance with such a novice. I have always had fond feelings for Johnny, as one always will for his first love, and hope, on whatever plane of existence he’s cracking mysteries, he’s happy.”
Editor: Jack C. Harris If you came into Ghosts #100 on a whim, simply to check out what a book entitled Ghosts was about, you were probably a little confused by the lead feature continuing “The Ghost Gladiator.” DC’s mystery line rarely had continued stories, but “The Ghost Gladiator” did indeed begin in issue #99, where it was also cover-featured. The story continued in #100 for three more chapters and 18 pages, all highlighted by fine Fred Carrillo artwork. The last complete tale in the book, “Hands From the Grave,” sported early artwork by Mark D. Bright, who would help retool Green Lantern’s origin at the end of the decade. Dr. 13, who vehemently did not believe in the supernatural and was constantly trying to reassure himself of that in any mystery book that would have him, had appeared in an ongoing solo feature in
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GHOSTS #100 (May 1981)
Disbeliever and Equalizer (left) Dr. and Mrs. Thirteen introduce Ghosts’ 100th issue. Introductory page drawn by Howard Bender and Tony DeZuniga. (right) Joe Kubert’s bone-chilling lead-in page to Weird War Tales #100. TM & © DC Comics.
WEIRD WAR TALES #100 (June 1981) Editor: Len Wein Weird War Tales had two ongoing features rotating in the book at that time, “The War That Time Forgot” and “The Creature Commandos” (“G.I. Robot” was on the horizon; apparently, once the green light was given for ongoing series in the mystery books there was no shout for Stop!). The two series were dovetailed together by writer Mike W. Barr and artists Bob Hall and Jerry Ordway into an extra-length tale in the 100th issue, which allowed for monsters and dinosaurs all over the place, including the dramatic cover by Joe Kubert. “Everything and anything was always to boost sales,” explains Harris. “Every change we made, every character we added, every creative adjustment from artist to writers was to, hopefully, make the books sell better. The trouble was, is, and always will be, that nobody’s tastes are the same. And popularity ebbs and flows—what is on top today might Tenth Anniversary Issue
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Ghosts #95–99. For issue #100, though, the good doctor only appeared long enough to note Ghosts’ 100th anniversary on the splash page, which posted reproductions of the covers of Ghosts #1, 25, 50, and 75. Terrence Thirteen would return to his regularly scheduled solo feature in Ghosts #101. “I don’t recall why Dr. 13’s feature didn’t appear in Ghosts #100,” admits Harris. “I do recall a few other things about the title, however. One was the cover. I wanted something special for it, so I called for an ‘infinity’ cover, where the cover scene appears on the cover in the scene, which appears on the cover in the scene, etc., etc. to infinity. Rich Buckler and Steve Mitchell did a great job on it, but it was hell for the production department to pull off. However, such covers are usually memorable. I used to know a comics collector who specialized in exclusively collecting comics featuring ‘infinity’ covers.” Regarding “The Ghost Gladiator,” as it is the premiere feature in this anniversary issue (and the issue before) I feel it deserves some discussion. Back in old Pompeii, a rival gladiator poisoned Horatio during a grueling arena match, and on his deathbed Horatio pleaded to the local wizard to aid him in avenging his murder. The wizard extracted Horatio’s spiritual essence, and told the ghost he could have his revenge but he needed to be back in his body ASAP or he would not pass on with his dead body. Horatio’s revenge was enacted, but Vesuvius the volcano exploded before he could get back to his body, which was buried and lost. Alas, it appeared poor Horatio would remain a spirit forever. Fortunately, centuries later, during the 1920s, Horatio’s body was unearthed during an excavation, and to make a long story short, he was eventually reunited with his preserved form, had an adventure years later during World War II, and atoned for past sins in 1972. The story actually ends well for Horatio the Ghost Gladiator and there is also the hint of him returning in, what, some kind of ongoing feature? George Kashdan scripts, and it’s actually quite entertaining.
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HOUSE OF MYSTERY #300 (Jan. 1982) Editor: Karen Berger Writers Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, and Gerry Conway all wrote for DC’s mystery line in the early 1970s, and then all went on to make names for themselves in serial horror books for both major comic-book companies: Wein with DC’s The Phantom Stranger and Swamp Thing; Wolfman with Marvel’s Tomb of Dracula; and Conway with Marvel’s Werewolf by Night, to name barely a smidgeon of their contributions to the Bronze Age and beyond. Years later, all three contributed to House of Mystery’s 300th issue. Bruce Jones and April Campbell’s “Heaven’s Above!,” expertly delineated by Dan Spiegel, is a fine thriller. No ghosts, ghouls, monsters, extraterrestrials, or demons in sight, just an egotistical man, his insecure work partner, a devoted woman, jealousy, and human tragedy, played out in eight pages and meant to haunt you for some time. Jones was heir apparent to 20 • BACK ISSUE • Tenth Anniversary Issue
Double-Header (left) Writers Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn share a body in House of Mystery #300’s “Paper Girl!,” drawn by Adrian Gonzales and Larry Mahlstedt. (right) Gonzales, in Kubert mode, and Bob Kanigher’s conclusion to “Easy’s 400th,” from Sgt. Rock #400. TM & © DC Comics.
the chilling styles of Michael Fleisher, Jack Oleck, and Steve Skeates, and his tales kept their creative spirits alive in a sinking genre. House of Mystery had its own ongoing feature at that time, “I … Vampire” by writer J. M. DeMatteis and artist Tom Sutton, but while it appeared in HOM #299 it did not make the cut for the anniversary issue.
SGT. ROCK #400 (May 1985) Editor: Joe Kubert The Sgt. Rock story, “Easy’s 400th” by Kanigher and artist Adrian Gonzales, is okay and acknowledges the book’s 400th anniversary in the last panel, but that acknowledgement feels kind of
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be on the bottom tomorrow. We were constantly second-guessing our reading public. Sometimes we hit the mark, other times we missed completely. We ‘expected’ (i.e., ‘hoped’) that the books would go on forever. We had no preconceived notions of how long ‘forever’ would be. In the short run, however, the popularity of the books after the so-called ‘face lift’ of continuing features did, indeed, increase.”
forced, and does not have near the impact the conclusion of Rock’s feature in Our Army at War #300 did. Superman appears in the backup story “…Truth, Justice, and the American Way!” by writer Jack C. Harris and artist Ron Wagner. Well, sort of. Actually, the comic book Superman #1 is featured in this tale as a prized possession and inspiration for a soldier during World War II. “This was one of my favorite stories I did for Kubert,” recalls Harris. “It was written and drawn and in Joe’s inventory. I think, that at any given time, we had enough inventory to put together a whole month’s worth of titles without having to buy anything new. When Sgt. Rock #400 approached, I told Joe that ‘…Truth, Justice and the American Way’ should run in that number since it was really a celebration of DC as well as Sgt. Rock. After all, the title began as Our Army at War in 1952 and Rock didn’t even appear in it until the 81st issue. Joe agreed, and ran it in #400. In my original script, the hero had died heroically at the end, saving his buddies. Joe felt it would be more upbeat if he survived, so I rewrote the last couple of panels and Wagner redrew them. The panels that included the soldier reading and being inspired by his Superman #1 issue were actually pasted-up stats from the real Superman #1.” The issue concludes with the truly bizarre “Eggroll Hill” by writer/artist Vincent. On a Pacific island during World War II, two US soldiers eventually take a mound shaped like an eggroll, while a native islander actually takes a bite out of the side of the hill. It’s really something else.
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THE WARLORD #100 (Dec. 1985) Editor: Ross Andru During the Bronze Age of Comics, DC’s greatest success in the adventure/ fantasy/science-fiction genres all came with one title, The Warlord, writer/artist Mike Grell’s creation, a book that enjoyed some success long after its popular creator departed. The Warlord reached its 100th issue in 1985, an impressive feat worth noting here. The celebration kicked off appropriately with a fine cover by Grell, and of the 12 anniversary books discussed in this article, it’s the only one that carries additional pages—at extra cost, of course—to accommodate an extra-length story. Writer Michael Fleisher, scribe of many outstanding mystery stories—the controversial Spectre series in Adventure Comics, and Jonah Hex—became the Warlord’s new chronicler in this issue, joining artist Andy Kubert, but only for two issues as Kubert was scheduled to take over artistic duty on Sgt. Rock. The startling transformation of Morgan’s daughter Jennifer, an enchantress, at the end of this issue’s “Skartaris Unchained” was mere stage setting for “Morgan’s Quest,” beginning in #101. G.I. Combat ended its run with #288 (Mar. 1987), the only title among the last seven books cited above that came close to another anniversary issue. Only G.I. Combat and Sgt. Rock continued into the Modern Age
of Comics (1986–present), albeit briefly, while all the others except Warlord were canceled well before Crisis on Infinite Earths began in 1985. Many of these books have been revived during the Modern Age, and those published on an ongoing basis never achieved an anniversary issue (I don’t think any revival, other than DC/Vertigo’s House of Secrets and House of Mystery, reached #25). It’s hard to believe there was a time when all these books actually thrived, but they did, along with their odd takes on what constitutes an anniversary issue. I say “antiversary,” you say “anniversary”—let’s call them all worth celebrating!
Father and Child Reunion The Warlord #100 ended with a shocking discovery for Travis Morgan. By Michael Fleisher and Adam Kubert. Thanks to Andy Mangels for most of this article’s interior page scans.
JIM KINGMAN purchased his first comic book, DC’s World’s Finest Comics #211, on a family road trip in March of 1972, and has been reading and collecting comic books ever since (with no end in sight).
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In the final issue of the series 52, Booster Gold and Rip Hunter witness the birth of the new multiverse. To Booster, the aligning of the 52 parallel Earths appears as if they are disappearing. Rip, however, clarifies the situation by explaining, “You’re only seeing what your brain can comprehend.” That’s the way the human mind works; it protects us from things that would fracture our psyches. This is not limited to perceiving parallel Earths aligning or Lovecraftian horrors arriving from space. Even something seemingly mundane is capable of breaking people who are ill-equipped to handle it. For this reason, there were many who simply could not acknowledge that George Lucas would craft a trilogy that begins with tariff negotiations, continues with racist caricatures, and concludes with repeated use of the word “younglings.” These were people who for the most part grudgingly accepted Ewoks, but Midi-chlorians were more than they could handle. In order to protect these aficionados’ brains from exploding, their minds do not permit them to perceive Star Wars I–III. As far as these fans are aware, episodes IV–VI are the only Star Wars movies ever made. (See also: Matrix 2–3, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, Batman Forever, et al.) For similar reasons, many comics fan are incapable of perceiving Adventure Comics #400 (Dec. 1970). As far as they can tell, that issue was skipped, never to be brought into existence. For the sake of your brain, I implore you: Do NOT read this article if you can’t handle the truth! The audience having been warned, let us now examine Supergirl’s epic battle against her greatest enemies: the Black Flame and three Z-list villains never seen before or since! Our tale begins with Supergirl sewing one of the many variations of her costume that she wore in those days. A newscaster announced an urgent message for Supergirl, flashing an address and phone number on the screen at subliminal speed (because newscasters typically do such things upon the request of anonymous parties). Anyway, Supergirl rushed to the address, where a trap lay waiting. Supergirl’s enemy Zora, a.k.a. “the Black Flame,” had escaped from her imprisonment in Kandor. So far so good. Now things start going downhill at an increasingly rapid pace. The first thing Zora did was to steal a “space flyer.” (Kandor had spaceships? Krypton really could have used more of those!) We are not shown Zora escaping from the bottle in which Kandor was kept, nor are we shown how she enlarged herself to human size. We are shown that she took her space flyer to the Phantom Zone. Or did she? As readers of the Superman family of comics know, the Phantom Zone was a dimension where Kryptonians sent their most dangerous criminals. There, the convicted existed as immaterial wraiths. Zora flew her ship to a planet, where “the criminals of many galaxy’s (sic) are kept.” Once there, she “blasted the guard bubble.”
Continuity-Free Zone Supergirl has seen better days. Adventure Comics #400 (Dec. 1970); cover by Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano. TM & © DC Comics.
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Jack Abramowitz
(I’m not sure what that means. Maybe Zora was thinking of the Village from the television show The Prisoner.) With a whole planet of master criminals to choose from, Zora inexplicably selected three real losers: the Inventor, the Toymaster, and L. Finn (more on them shortly). Other felons wanted to force themselves onto her ship, but Zora held them at bay with a gun—because guns are generally effective against immaterial phantoms. (Let us leave aside the question of why Zora did not become a phantom upon entering the Phantom Zone. Or, in this case, landing on it.) Flashback over, we find Supergirl arriving at the address to which she had been directed, only to be ambushed by a robot housekeeper with a kryptonite-covered rope. Weakened by the kryptonite, Supergirl is attacked by a toy of her pet Streaky the Super-Cat, controlled by the Toymaster. “I’ll fix that with my telepathic remote control box,” he tells Zora. “I activate it by pressing here…” Yeah, great push-button telepathy there, Toymaster! Rendered unconscious, Supergirl was carried to a giant bowling alley. Please take a minute to absorb that properly: a Giant. Bowling. Alley. There she stood in place of the front pin while the villains lobbed kryptonite bowling balls at her. She managed to free herself, only to be downed by L. Finn’s magic. At this, Supergirl has an epiphany: “Magic! L. Finn—Elfin! A leprechaun!” Really? Is that how it works? Are leprechauns even elves? If they are, would their names necessarily be homonyms for it? Maybe that makes sense to Supergirl since it appears perfectly normal to name Kryptonian pets such things as “Krypto.” Still, you don’t see Batman making deductions like “Pete Ross—peat moss! The Swamp Thing!” Once felled, Zora breaks out the gold kryptonite. Uh-oh! As everyone knows, gold kryptonite permanently removes Kryptonians’ superpowers! Well … not everyone knows that. Apparently one can write and edit Supergirl stories without knowing it because “permanent” ain’t what it used to be. Zora must keep Supergirl standing on a pile of gold K to keep her powers drained while the Inventor’s machine shoots a giant arrow at her. Aside from the obvious flaw in this plan, i.e., that Zora doesn’t just shoot Supergirl with the gun that we already know she has and be done with it, the band of villains commits the grievous error of leaving the room for no apparent reason! By this point you may have noticed that the Black Flame sure has a lot of kryptonite lying around for a Kryptonian. No worries: kryptonite doesn’t affect non-powered Kryptonians. Zora permanently lost her powers in Action Comics #304 due to exposure to … gold kryptonite! Oh … never mind! Luckily, Supergirl takes advantage of the villains’ absence to take telepathic control of the Toymaker’s toys, who release her. When the band of evildoers return, Supergirl clocks Zora while the toys take care of the three incompetent henchmen. Supergirl then tows the spaceship back to the Phantom Zone planet, drops Zora back in Kandor (where Supergirl can still fly, counter to the established rules), and once again, the day is saved. Ouch. This tale was penned by Mike Sekowsky, who, with writer Denny O’Neil, removed Wonder Woman’s powers and dressed her like Diana Rigg. Love it or hate it, there’s a certain internal consistency to his run on Wonder Woman. Not so his work on Supergirl! This tale shows a lack of familiarity with even the most basic facts of the Superman mythos. Sadly, writer/editor/penciler
Needles and Pins From Adventure Comics #400: (top) Linda Danvers, seamstress, receives a super-summons. (bottom) Let’s go bowling! TM & © DC Comics.
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Ridiculous Rapscallions Adventure #400’s villains—(left) L. Finn and (right) Toymaster—take on Supergirl in these two pages. Script, pencils, and edits by Mike Sekowsky, inks by Jack Abel. Special thanks to Andy Mangels for these interior page scans. TM & © DC Comics.
Sekowsky is no longer around for us to ask about this, Schiff could have said, “Oops, that shouldn’t have nor is inker Jack Abel, so we consulted with Craig Shutt, gone there.” Not so Adventure #400. The cover reads, a.k.a. “Mr. Silver Age,” who discusses Adventure #400 in his “A **** Special!” (Those four asterices mean “four star,” book Baby Boomer Comics (available for Kindle on not “expletive deleted,” however appropriate Amazon). Apparently, this was not Sekowsky’s that might also be.) It continues, “The 35th only such lapse while working on Supergirl. Anniversary—400th Issue of Adventure “Sekowsky’s Supergirl was pretty Comics presents the New Supergirl.” fascinating,” Shutt says, “as in, puzzling The words “35th,” “400th,” and and disorienting. He had a tenuous “New” all appear inside colorful grasp of Supergirl and some of her starbursts. So, yeah, they knew background but didn’t bother himself exactly what they were doing. to learn the details for some unknown For its depiction of the Phantom reason. It’s never a good situation Zone and gold kryptonite among other when the writer knows less than the gaffes, as well as for inflicting L. Finn readers (one reason I don’t write upon an undeserving public, Adventure much about the Legion). Even so, Comics #400 merits no place in continuhow a writer on a Super-Family book ity, pre–Crisis, mike sekowsky could not understand the Phantom post–Crisis, Zone, gold kryptonite, and that mindHypertime, reading—as Supergirl displayed in [Adventure] #397, or otherwise. It does, however, along with her fancy new costumes—is not a Kryptonian deserve an honored place in the superpower is hard to say. If nothing else, it shows the museum of “What the Hell…?” problem with having a writer/editor.” somewhere in between Ms. Adventure Comics #400 may be the worst anniversary Lion and Gwen Stacy’s twins. issue of all time. Sure, it’s tempting to give that dubious You may safely resume readhonor to Detective Comics #300, the debut of Mr. ing the rest of this issue. Fnord. Polka-Dot, but in this writer’s opinion, Adventure Comics JACK ABRAMOWITZ is a writer and #400 edges out the competition for one simple reason: an educator and stuff. In him’s life, Detective Comics #300 has plausible deniability. The him am read many bad comics. cover doesn’t acknowledge the milestone. Editor Jack
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Michael Eury
Holy Blue Hannah! This anniversary edition of BACK ISSUE gives your friendly neighborhood editor-in-chief yet another opportunity to revisit his favorite comics series, The Brave and the Bold, best known throughout fandom as the “Batman team-up comic.” For the record, when B&B reached its centennial milestone in late 1971, that did not mark the 100th Batman team-up. When it premiered in 1955, The Brave and the Bold was a “high adventure” anthology edited by Robert Kanigher, featuring swashbucklers like the Viking Prince, the Shining Knight, and the Golden Gladiator. It became a tryout title in 1959, most famously launching the Justice League of America, the Silver Age Hawkman, and the Teen Titans. The team-up format kicked off with the Green Arrow and the Manhunter from Mars in 1963’s issue #50, followed by a hodgepodge of cohabitating heroes hopping in and out of the title. Occasional headliner Batman proved the most popular teamup star and as of his first meeting with the Metal Men in 1967’s issue #74, The Brave and the Bold officially became “his” series. And so the Batman B&B beat began…
THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #100 (Feb.–Mar. 1972) Sequestered away in his continuity-free bunker, notorious plotmaster Bob Haney, with his tacit enabler, editor Murray Boltinoff, concocted something truly special for B&B’s centennial edition: a team-up of Batman and “4 Famous Co-Stars.” Two of those co-stars were the titular titans from the pages of the critically acclaimed Green Lantern/ Green Arrow series by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams, with GA’s gal pal Black Canary along for the ride; a crisis in the issue lured Batman’s awayat-college partner, Robin, into the mix to complete the quartet. “Warrior in a Wheel-Chair,” the second Batman/ B&B story drawn by Jim Aparo (becoming the series’ regular artist with this issue), opens with a sniper critically wounding the Darknight Detective. With a bullet dangerously caressing Batman’s heart, the hero is confined to a wheelchair and ordered to rest at home while a heart surgeon wings his way to Gotham City. Batman’s convalescence derails his mission of busting up a heroinsmuggling operation, and thus our hero calls into action his 4 Famous Co-Stars, orchestrating their moves via radio. Haney’s Ironside-meets-The French Connection scenario stretches credibility in a few instances, most notably with the wheelchair-bound Batman, his wound bandaged over his costume, commanding his cohorts
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? If you don’t know the identity of Batman’s co-star, you’ll discover it once you read this article. Cover to The Brave and the Bold #150 (May 1979) by Jim Aparo. TM & © DC Comics.
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Just Another Day on the Job (top) Green Arrow shows no remorse after killing a criminal. From The Brave and the Bold #100. (bottom) Guess there wasn’t room for GL on this crowded but gripping cover by Nick Cardy for B&B #100 (Feb.–Mar. 1972). TM & © DC Comics.
from the penthouse patio of Bruce Wayne, in plain view of anyone peeking from a neighboring skyscraper. Black Canary is portrayed ridiculously out of character in one scene when she misses a call to duty when primping under a hair dryer. And this tale infamously depicts Green Arrow twanging a shaft into the chest of a drug runner, ho-humming the murder with a cavalier “One dead … one got away” remark. As mentioned in two recent editions of BACK ISSUE, that scene prompted Green Lantern/Green Arrow scribe O’Neil to pen a story in response, where a distraught Oliver (GA) Queen goes on a spiritual sojourn after accidentally taking a life. But that nitpicking aside (other than a mention of GL’s gloves being mistakenly colored green throughout the story), “Warrior in a Wheel-Chair” delivers the goods! Aparo is in fine form, ably rendering each of the characters as if he’d been drawing them for years, and Haney’s anniversary adventure features a nail-biter of an ending. Published during DC’s phase of 52-page comics priced at 25¢, B&B #100 included a 13-page Deadman reprint from Strange Adventures #210, drawn by Neal Adams. While there are no actual special anniversary features, the multi-hero team-up definitely makes #100 special.
THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #150 (May 1979) “Fantastic 150th Anniversary Issue!” touts the copy above B&B #150’s logo, tantalizing fans with an Aparo-drawn Batman, challenging the reader to guess the identity of his co-star in a team-up billed as “Batman and ?” Behind the Gotham Guardian is a quartet of significant B&B covers (in red), depicting four significant moments in Batman’s history in the title: issue #59, his very first B&B team-up (with Green Lantern); #85, the penultimate issue of Neal Adams’ celebrated run on the title, debuting co-star Green Arrow’s new look (his beard and updated costume); anniversary edition #100; and #111, featuring the offbeat—but wildly popular—pairing of Batman and his arch-nemesis, the Joker. With this cover, editor Paul Levitz offers a wistful nod to cover-montage DC anniversary editions of the past, most notably Batman #200. Other editorially added touches make this issue truly special, from the splash page’s introductory use of The Brave and the 26 • BACK ISSUE • Tenth Anniversary Issue
Bold’s original “waving flag” logo to the Levitz-penned lettercol, to save the day, providing readers with another pulse-pounding boasting a history of the title and comprehensive index of B&B Haney yarn and the rare opportunity to see Aparo render the Man #50–150, including creative-team credits. of Tomorrow! The story itself is, once again, pure gold from Haney/Aparo. The mystery guest-star angle was an effective anniversary hook Although the writer chose the hackneyed title “Today Gotham … (the “Batman and ?” gimmick had been previously used with issue Tomorrow the World!,” this anniversary adventure rockets out of the #95’s Batman/Plastic Man combo, and B&B #106’s Batman/Green gate as Batman, scoping out a “terrorist gang” that is kidnapping Arrow team-up featured a “Plus?” after their logos, hinting at the prominent Gothamites, narrowly averts being skewered. Calling issue’s secret villain, Two-Face), but was there any discussion about themselves “the Battalion of Doom,” the terrorists announce actually cover-featuring Batman’s super-friend instead? their next victim—Bruce Wayne—and manage to nab According to its editor, Paul Levitz, “I don’t recall the Batman’s alter ego by page 4. issue particularly well, but it was at a time when Wayne is held captive in an escape-proof silo, World’s Finest was doing the Superman and Batman with a brutish gatekeeper named Moses Karns team-ups, so I think that probably ruled that idea assigned to make sure the wealthy captive stays put. out. And we’d had good sales on the previous Wayne quickly learns that his physical training is mystery-guest approach.” no match for the hulking, inhumanly strong Karns, And while nearly 35 years have passed since I first but manages to temporarily sneak out for a nightread this exciting tale, I’m still bugged by one of my time appearance as Batman. When he returns to the favorite writers, Bob Haney, giving Superman the silo, he’s snatched by Karns, who, over the course of superpower of walking through walls to satisfy his story Wayne’s captivity, continues to exhibit signs that (I would’ve preferred to see Karns punch through he possesses powers far beyond mortal men, from the wall). Actually, Superman had phased through walking through a wall “like a phantom” (!) to a wall once in the past, on an episode of TV’s jim aparo super-speed. Adventures of Superman in the 1950s, but that wasn’t Once Wayne’s faithful butler Alfred joins his an ability of the comic-book version of the hero. boss as a hostage, the action escalates as Karns is forced to rescue Other readers took issue with this gaff as well, including a fan Bruce and Alfred by melting oncoming bullets with heat vision and whose letter was printed in B&B #155. Editor Levitz explained in print whisking the duo into the air, his identity finally revealed as that Superman used his super-speed to “slip into the room unnoticed.” Superman! In a narrated flashback featuring Clark Kent and his But the art clearly shows Karns/Superman materializing through boss Morgan Edge, Superman discloses that the terrorists kidnapped the wall, prompting Bruce Wayne to remark, “Incredible! He came his pal Jimmy Olsen to keep the Metropolis Marvel at bay, forcing through the silo wall like some phantom…” Levitz reflects today, his Karns disguise to keep tabs on the situation. As the clock ticks “Ooops … clearly not a careful editorial day … or I was channeling toward the tale’s 20th and final page and the Battalion’s detonation the wonderful old George Reeves moment when he manipulates his of a bomb, Batman and Superman finally team up, in costume, molecules to walk through a wall…”
A Phase He’s Going Through “Karns” strolls through a silo on page 10 of B&B #150 (May 1979). Story by Haney, art by Aparo. In the inset, a screencap from the Adventures of Superman episode featuring the Man of Steel’s new power. TM & © DC Comics.
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Batmen and Friends (right) Longtime B&B artist Jim Aparo snared the cover assignment for the series’ final issue, #200 (July 1983), while (left) Dave Gibbons ably rendered the Batman of two worlds inside. (opposite page left) Aparo’s cover to B&B #200’s Batman and the Outsiders preview. TM & © DC Comics.
Writer Barr’s 40-page Batman/Batman story “Smell THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #200 (July 1983) The cover of B&B #200 makes it no secret that this of Brimstone, Stench of Death!” opens with a prologue is an extraordinary event: It bears the golden explaining DC’s multiverse and introducing us to the “Anniversary” banner prevalent on such DC editions Nicholas Lucien of Earth-Two and his counterpart on Earthof the day, and gold ink is used in the co-stars’ logos. One. Earth-Two’s Lucien sought his fortune as “that modern Mephistopholes,” a villain named Brimstone, Being squarebound and 68 pages (at a while Earth-One’s Lucien “channeled his “whopping” $1.50), this also “feels” like a aggressions toward a more socially special edition. acceptable path” as a businessman. The Brave and the Bold #200—the It is here that Barr diverges their last issue of the long-running title— stories—temporarily—starting with a teams Batman and (the Golden Age) 16-page chapter set in the Golden Batman … sort of. Regarding the Age and starring Batman and Robin, title’s cancellation, Mike W. Barr, B&B’s the Boy Wonder, titled “Fire and writer at the time, tells BACK ISSUE, “I Brimstone.” Illustrated in the squarewas not consulted about this decision, jawed style of Dick Sprang, this I was simply informed of it. DC had sequence establishes Brimstone as an unofficial agreement with a foreign a gimmick-laden plunderer (with a publisher—I believe it was in South fiery trident) and features the familiar America—to publish four Batman mike w. barr and beloved trademarks of Batman titles a month so that Batman would stories from that era: a Bat-signal be a ‘weekly’ book there. So whatever replaced B&B had to star Batman. A Batman team book summoning, heroic puns, giant props, even a deathseemed a logical solution, keeping the spirit of B&B trap! The writer smiles, “I was very pleased with the fact but with some new characters”—hence the creation of that, though Brimstone is obviously a Satanic-themed Batman and the Outsiders, debuting in B&B #200 in an villain, the word ‘hell’ is never used in the Earth-Two story, since the Comics Code would never have allowed all-new 14-page preview by Barr and Jim Aparo. that word to appear in a story published in 1954.” Barr adds, “In that story I referred to him by such bombastic terms as ‘the Hadean Highwayman,’ which still gives me a grin. Hades, as a mythological concept, could appear in a 1954 comic-book story, if used discreetly. On such small satisfactions are careers built.” This chapter is followed by an interlude set on Earth-Two in 1983, where an aged, incarcerated Lucien (Brimstone) discovers (from the Joker, no less!) that the Batman of that world is deceased. Brimstone sends his consciousness across the dimensional barrier to take control of his Earth-One counterpart.
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The story’s final chapter—“Hell on Earth!”—stars “our” (the Earth-One) Batman and is set in the current day (1983), pitting the Dark Knight against a vengeful Brimstone, who regards his first (and only) battle with Batman as a “rematch.” Barr’s story is cleverly constructed, crossing over the Batmen of two worlds and eras while never actually having them meet. “The fact that the two Batmen never meet was deliberate, and contrasted by the concept of the two Brimstones meeting, after a fashion,” says the writer. Luckily for Barr, he is paired with versatile penciler Dave Gibbons (with inker Gary Martin), who fluently navigates the art styles of both the Golden and Bronze Ages in the story. Barr and Gibbons, with editor Len Wein, adroitly salute the Batman of yesteryear without falling prey to camp or sentimentalism, and anchor that nostalgia in a contemporary context. This is one of the best Batman stories of the 1980s, and sadly has not yet been reprinted in an American edition. Since this tale appeared in the last issue of The Brave and the Bold, one ponders if writer Barr had originally a different Batman team-up in mind for this final edition: “I had suggested the team of ‘Batman and Ellery Queen,’ as a longtime EQ fan, but knew that was a non-starter,” he reveals. “That would have required making some phone calls, and editor Len Wein had no interest in dealing with that.” While the name “Brimstone” was appropriated in 1986 for the gigantic engine of destruction that first stomped into the pages of the Legends crossover, Nicholas Lucien’s debut was also his swan song. “I have thought about using him since, but never have,” admits Barr. “Since so many of today’s ‘creators’ are averse to ‘giving away’ characters, I’m surprised Brimstone hasn’t been used again. (He probably will be, now.)” Barr shares a footnote regarding his “Batman of Two Worlds” B&B: “After #200 was published, I told Len I
had also considered the idea of telling the ‘true’ story behind the death of the Earth-Two Batman, as both of us considered that story, as published, to be extremely unsatisfying. Len said we should have told that story, but for obvious reasons it would have opened up a political can of worms, a nuisance I didn’t need.” Also included in B&B #200 was “Bat-Mite Speaks His Mind,” a one-pager by Stephen DeStefano. (Bat-Mite and Batman and the Outsiders will be featured in 2014 in BACK ISSUE #73, themed “Batman’s Partners.”) Each of these three B&B anniversary editions feature memorable, re-readable stories whose originality outdistances the yellowing paper onto which they were printed.
Taking a Page from the Golden Age Dave Gibbons and Gary Martin’s Dick Sprang-ish take on the Caped Crusader, in Mike W. Barr’s Batman/Batman tale from B&B #200. Original art courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com).
I’ll always B&B grateful to Paul Levitz and Mike W. Barr for their participation. Special thanks go out to Pamela Mullin and Alex Segura of DC Comics and to the ever-helpful John Wells. BACK ISSUE editor-in-chief MICHAEL EURY’s dog-eared Haney/ Aparo B&B comics have been read so many times, you can almost see through their pages.
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TM & © DC Comics.
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It was a story 37 years in the making. That’s how long it took Superman in his self-titled series to go from issue #1 in 1939 to issue #300 in 1976. While America was celebrating the bicentennial, Superman marked the tricentennial of his magazine, and what better way than with an imaginary story? The title: “Superman, 2001!” The plotline poses the rhetorical question as to what it would be like if baby Kal-El had landed on Earth in the present. With that premise and the Cold War in full swing, the first conflict involves the North Pacific splashdown of the rocket in international waters. The date is February 29th, which is Kal-El’s birthday per “Answer Man” and co-editor Bob Rozakis. Naval vessels from both the United States and the USSR were dispatched to intercept, but only one survives the collision of competing recovery helicopters—Navy Lieutenant Thomas Clark. At a sequestered military base, while the spacecraft is examined a panel opens, revealing a toddler, who quickly displays advanced and otherworldly abilities. Later, “Skyboy” is decked out in a familiar uniform and kept under top-secret wraps. Fast forwarding into 1990 reveals such innovations as floating seaports and a protective dome over the US Capitol. A woman has been elected president of the United States, but conflict continues with the Soviets, and a major point of contention is the alien visitor, finally acknowledged. Russia demands that the US surrender it as a ward of the United Nations, giving a mysterious thirdworld power an opening to trigger a third World War. Their method makes it seem that missiles originating in the USSR have been launched against America, and a mirror-image scenario in Moscow appears on their surveillance equipment. Massive retaliatory strikes are ordered and the entire horror unfolds in front of the eyes of the general, who has looked after Skyboy, and Skyboy himself, monitoring at a secret installation. A guilt-ridden Skyboy acts in the only way he sees fit, by singlehandedly stopping the threat. Succeeding, he vanishes, but not before clandestinely attending the funeral of his “father,” General Kent Garrett. He silently acknowledges that the world isn’t ready for him, so he takes the name of Clark Kent, combining the names of frogman Thomas Clark and Kent Garrett and vowing to keep his secret forever, disposing of the suitcase holding his uniform into a nearby body of water. Segue to 2001 and the dawn of a new century, where anchorman Clark Kent is helping herald it in. Included in the observance is the merging of the metro area from Boston to Washington, D.C., which is now “Metropolis.” However, something is amiss at Times Square. A four-armed humanoid figure calling itself Moka claims status as a “savior,” taking full credit for averting holocaust in 1990. Moka is being operated by the nameless third-world nation.
Superman, 2001 The new millennium seemed distant in 1976 when this anniversary edition was produced. Cover to Superman #300 (June 1976) by Curt Swan and Bob Oksner. TM & © DC Comics.
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Look Who’s Talking The toddler “Skyboy” possesses a vocabulary far beyond mortal moppets. TM & © DC Comics.
Clark Kent reaches an inevitable conclusion: Earth needs a hero, and it is his duty to fulfill. Retrieving his uniform, the hero now calling himself Superman goes into action. A battle is underway, but what is revealed to be a superpowered robot proves no match for the Man of Tomorrow. Superman explains to the assembly that it was not Moka who averted destruction, but someone who desired mankind to look to themselves rather than false heroes for their salvation. This landmark issue required plenty of creative input, and writers Cary Bates and Elliot S! Maggin were seasoned collaborators. Bates recalls his technique: “After the initial plotting session with Julie [Schwartz, editor], I would go away and write a script that laid out all the panel breakdowns for each page, and then Elliot would go over it and put in the dialogue. My end of the collaboration was much like writing ‘Marvel style’ [plot-first], the only difference being, I’d be writing the panel breakdowns for the artist; then, weeks later, once the penciled pages came in, I’d go back in and write the dialogue balloons myself.” Maggin’s recollections: “I think it was an idea Cary and I came up with sitting in a diner in Queens in the middle of the night. Julie had just said he wanted to do something special for the 300th issue, and Cary and I thought we’d like to rewrite the origin of the character as though he’d come to Earth today—in 1976, that is—instead of a generation earlier. “Cary wrote the scene descriptions, panel by panel, and I wrote the dialogue and captions to fit that. I don’t think I changed a single panel allocation.” The entire backdrop of the story is the Cold War, and each writer describes the cues given from the real world, beginning with Cary Bates: “Books and movies built around Cold War tensions leading to World War III probably hit their peak in the zeitgeist of the ’60s (Dr. Strangelove, Fail Safe, You Only Live Twice, etc). But these tensions were still a reality elliot s! maggin in 1976; at the time there was no hint the Soviet Union would one day collapse. So it seemed logical to assume Superman might have to prevent the USA and USSR from going to war in the 21st Century.” Elliot Maggin gives it even more significance: “The whole story was a Cold War tract. We were doing the origin of Superman, but not in the sleepy pre–World War II days. We were doing it in a time and place where satellites patrol the skies and you’ve always got your adversaries frozen in a Mexican standoff. You couldn’t have a rocket peacefully dragging a ditch across a cornfield where nobody would see it unless you happened to be driving by. There’d be lights in the skies. Nuclear subs on high alert. Helicopters peppering the atmosphere like water vapor. Aircraft carriers scrambling their fliers. Defcon-3 before you
A New Century Dawns The year 2001, as envisioned in 1976 by writers Bates and Maggin and artists Swan and Oksner. TM & © DC Comics.
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can blink. It’s a new world, and we just don’t always “I remember thinking of the idea when I read a notice because we were born into it.” couple of panels where Superman’s rocket landed in The parallel between Bruce Wayne at the grave of neutral waters, the Americans and the Russians both his parents and Clark Kent at the gravesite of General racing for it. The Americans made it, but the germ was Kent Garrett was deliberate, according to Cary Bates. planted as a six-year-old and I toyed with the idea in “Definitely, but with a twist,” he says. little strips I’d put together. “Whereas Bruce Wayne found his inspiration “This wasn’t just a gig for me. This wasn’t to become Batman at his parents’ just another project to pay the bills. gravesite, in our story his grief over This was like getting to play James Bond the untimely death of a foster parent or suddenly finding yourself as Han compelled him to stay out of action Solo’s new sidekick in a Star Wars and disavow his powers.” movie. This was writing SUPERMAN, As far as 2001 potentially being a and when I typed that name into subtle homage to Arthur C. Clarke’s the dialogue box on my computer it story and the 1976 bicentennial being genuinely gave me a little buzz. I got factors in the plotting, Bates shares, to contribute to something huge and “I recall the upcoming bicentennial enormous and I can say with no being an impetus for a story kicked off irony that I looked forward to by the provocative idea of there being switching on my computer every mark millar a competition between the USA and day. If other people dug it, too, Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. USSR over which country would claim that’s even better. But this was like baby Kal-El; the fact that 1976 was also the year Superman winning a competition for me. I couldn’t have been #300 came out was just serendipity. In retrospect, happier than getting a chance to finally tell this story.” I’d have to concede that our 1976 conception of what The 300th issue of Superman lived up to its life in 2001 might be like proved to be way off-base, promise of being an unforgettable addition to the even more so than the 2001 portrayed in the movie.” mythos, and even triggered further inspirations. It A fascinating anecdote about this story is that it stands proudly in the pantheon of great adventures served as the inspiration for Mark Millar’s wonderful of the Man of Steel. Superman: Red Son, though the only member of the BRYAN STROUD is a longtime fan creative team aware of that was Cary Bates: of DC Comics, particularly the “First reaction: Why didn’t we think of that? [laughs] Silver and Bronze Ages, and has Though our notion of having the world’s two superpowers been contributing to the website of in competition over who would claim ownership of the his lifelong best friend, Ron Daudt, rocket was a memorable story hook, his choice in Red Son for over a decade doing reviews to extrapolate how Superman’s entire life might have and interviews with creators of the turned out in the USSR made for a more profound and books and has been fortunate interesting story … which is certainly what he delivered.” enough to conduct over 80 to date Mark Millar’s own thoughts about the inspiration he at www.thesilverlantern.com. Bryan recently co-authored the book received from Superman #300 and the joys of creating Nick Cardy: Wit-Lash. Red Son are offered here: Tenth Anniversary Issue
One Moka to Go (left) Skyboy returns—as Superman—to pummel and proselytize. (right) Cover to Mark Millar’s Superman: Red Son #3 (Aug. 2003). Cover by Dave Johnson. TM & © DC Comics.
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by
Founding Fathers Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, as rendered by Shuster in pen and ink in 1942. This piece was originally published in Martin Sheridan’s book, Comics and Their Creators, in 1942. Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). Superman TM & © DC Comics.
[Editor’s note: As Superman’s 75th anniversary draws to a close, the award-winning author of Superman: The High-Flying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero (now available in paperback) shares with BACK ISSUE the story of comics’ most contentious “custody” battle in the following excerpt from his book:] Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s Superman creation story had read like a movie script from the beginning, and the drama didn’t end with their deaths in the 1990s. To Jerry’s widow, Joanne, it was a tragedy and after decades of Jerry being the victim now she and her daughter Laura assumed that role. Joanne may have been the model for Lois Lane’s looks, but it was Laura who lived Lois’ life as an award-winning radio newscaster and talk-show host, TV reporter and anchor, and news and documentary producer. Now Laura had multiple sclerosis and couldn’t work, and Joanne was getting old. They notified DC Comics, Warner Bros., and Time Warner in 1997 that they planned to reclaim the copyright Jerry had signed away in 1938 and had tried repeatedly and fruitlessly to grab back over the years. So much for his promise not to sue again, made in 1948 and reaffirmed in 1975. That was before federal laws
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made it easier to redress perceived wrongs from the past, and before the Siegels had had two more decades to stew over how shabbily they had been treated. It was Jerry’s dying wish that they set things right, his daughter said. What she and her mother wanted was less another lawsuit than the nest egg they felt they deserved. So their attorneys and DC’s sat down to talk. They talked and talked some more. Finally, in the fall of 2001, it looked like the lawyers had agreed on a deal. On October 16, DC set out the general terms of a plan to pay Joanne and Laura nearly $1 million a year each for the rest of their lives. Three days later, their lawyers signed on. Sensing how near they were to a resolution, DC had already given the Siegels a non-refundable advance of $250,000, and four months later the company sent them a full-blown agreement. That is when things imploded, although why remains a matter of heated dispute. “We were stabbed in the back with a shocking contract” that included “new, outrageous demands,” Joanne wrote to Time Warner boss Richard Parsons. “The document is a heartless attempt to rewrite the history of Superman’s creation and to strip Laura and
me of the dignity and respect that we deserve … My disabled daughter still has not received the medical coverage she and her children were promised several years ago,” she added, her anger building as the three-page letter proceeded. “Just like the Gestapo, your company wants to strip us naked of our legal rights. Is that moral?” In spite of the letter, negotiations continued for another four months, at which point the Siegels fired their old attorney, hired a new one, and sued Time Warner, Warner Bros., and DC. While there were changes in DC’s preliminary and final proposals, the switch that mattered more was the Siegels’ new legal counsel. The Hollywood studios whom he had skewered regarded Malibu’s Marc Toberoff as a Svengali who manipulated vulnerable clients. Admirers like the heirs of Winifred Knight Mewborn, whose short story became the TV classic Lassie, called him a Robin Hood for restoring rights they had given up for next to nothing half a century before. Everyone agreed that the low-budget-filmmaker-turned-high-stakes-litigator had mastered an arcane area of copyright law and exploited it to benefit his clients and himself. In the Superman case, DC argued that Toberoff deceptively lured in the Siegels as clients, falsely promising them $15 million in immediate payouts and the chance to make their own Superman movie. His real motive, the company said in a legal filing against Toberoff, was to secure for himself the right to 45 percent of any payout the Siegels would get and the role of kingmaker in future Superman films. Toberoff called DC’s allegations a desperate “smear campaign” and part of Warner Bros.’ “last-ditch effort” to hang onto its rights to Superman, a property he believes is worth a billion dollars. Whoever was right, the result was that the Siegels and Jerry’s old employers were back in court. Scores of witnesses were deposed and thousands of pages of yellowing documents were unearthed that traced Superman’s development from Jerry and Joe’s earliest rendering to the latest TV incarnation in Smallville, which Toberoff claimed was a Superboy knockoff and thus belonged to Jerry’s heirs. For historians, the legal battle yielded a trove of material—from Jerry and Joe’s original $130 contract to stacks of correspondence between the young creators and their editors and publishers. It also produced Jerry’s unpublished memoir. The documents revealed a Jerry Siegel whose personality was at least as split as his superhero’s. One side of him was a creative and bereft boy looking to escape his real life by inventing one in fantasy. Less appealing was the angry young man who never recovered from the real and imagined wounds inflicted by the entrepreneurs to whom he had entrusted his sacred Superman. There were two Joannes as well. One was the nurturing beauty who had Jerry and Joe fawning over her. She coaxed the hard-hearted Jack Liebowitz into rehiring her husband after he had repeatedly burned bridges with the publisher, and looked after her man and girl when Jerry was an emotional wreck and there was barely cash enough to keep Laura in milk and diapers. Joanne’s other side was that of a lioness protecting her cubs. She was the mouthpiece for Jerry and Joe, writing letters to DC Comics demanding settlements, cost-of-living raises, and other benefits the aging creators lacked the gumption to ask for. If strong language was needed to get a CEO’s attention, she’d brand his company as the Gestapo. When an old classmate of Jerry’s was written up as the model for Lois Lane, implying that Joanne might not have been, Joanne had her lawyer send a cease-and-desist letter.
No matter that the claims weren’t the classmate’s, but old ones by Joe and Jerry, and that by the time Joanne was posing for Joe, Lois already was part of the story. Superman over time became Joanne’s, too, to the point where she told people she planned to write her own memoir on the whole sordid history. The legal proceedings dragged on long enough that seven different federal judges pored through the evidence. Their preliminary rulings—in 2008, 2009, and 2011— gave the Siegels much but not all of what they wanted. They had the right to sue despite the agreements they had signed with DC Comics. They also had a right to the Superman story in Action #1 but not the cover, the Superman story in Action #4, parts of Superman #1, and the first two weeks of Superman newspaper strips, which Harry and Joe had authorized Jerry and Joe to produce on their own. That gave Jerry’s heirs ownership of Superman’s blue leotards, red cape, and boots, as well as his early powers to leap tall buildings, repel bullets, and run faster than an express train. Time Warner owned the flying superhero, the Daily Planet, Jimmy and Perry, the Kents, X-Ray vision, and kryptonite, along with the overseas rights to everything. In practice the rulings meant that, for the full-fledged Superman to appear on-screen or anywhere else, Jerry’s heirs and Jack and Harry’s would have to pool their bifurcated holdings and share the profits. Just how that should happen and how much the Siegels already were owed, the court said, would have to be settled in a trial. While all that was playing out in public, behind the scenes checks continued to arrive each month from DC to Joanne and Laura. By the end of 2010 the payments had exceeded $3.8 million, including Joanne and Jerry’s medical bills, which had peaked at $89,000 the year he died. When a Superman TV show or film did especially well, there was a bonus of between $10,000 and $50,000. The agreement signed in 1975 had called for cutting off benefits to Joanne 15 years earlier, but DC said it would keep them coming in spite of Jerry’s death and Joanne’s bid to reclaim the ownership of Superman. In 2001, the company said it would continue paying so long as Joanne was working toward a settlement of the copyright dispute; settlement talks broke off in 2002, but again DC kept sending the checks. Annual payouts that had started at $20,000 Tenth Anniversary Issue
The Siegel Family Left to right: Superman co-creator and writer Jerry Siegel (1914–1996); wife Joanne (1918–2011), the model for Lois Lane; and their daughter, Laura Siegel Larson, as photographed by Alan Light at the 1976 San Diego Comic-Con. Special thanks to Mr. Light.
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were up to $126,000 at the end. Even as Warner Bros. lawyers were arguing with Toberoff and hoping for a settlement, they were steeling themselves for October 2013, when Joe Shuster’s nephew, Warren Peary, had signaled he would try to restore his uncle’s Superman copyright and make the same claim the Siegels had. After Joe died in 1992, DC agreed to clean up his $20,000 in debts and pay his sister, Jean, $25,000 a year for the rest of her life, which already has yielded her more than $500,000. In return she promised not to sue. But Jean’s son, Warren, never gave his word, and he hired Toberoff to sue DC for what he thought the Shuster heirs would be entitled to under an amended federal copyright law. This time the lawyer and his client would split the rights 50-50, giving Toberoff a total stake of 47.5 percent in the Siegel-Shuster holdings, compared to 27.5 percent for the Siegels and 25 percent for the Shusters. Was that excessive? Toberoff was entitled to that much, some legal authorities said, since his firm wasn’t charging a fee and was absorbing the huge costs of the multi-year lawsuit. Others said any contingency share over one-third was too much and that Toberoff should have convinced his aging and ill clients to take the tens of millions DC had offered even though he believed they deserved and could get more. “The whole purpose of these termination provisions [in federal
Heavy Lifting In 1983, Joe Shuster recreated his cover to Action Comics #19 (Dec. 1939) in pencil and colored pencils. The photograph of the artist, holding his framed recreation, was taken by art collector Charlie Roberts in 1983. Courtesy of Heritage. Superman TM & © DC Comics.
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was. He didn’t want to be angry but couldn’t help it. He was crushed every time Jerry was supposed to pick him up at Howard Johnson’s for a custody visit but didn’t show up. He wished his dad had been around to see what an athlete he was, which was something Jerry had wanted to be but couldn’t. It hurt, again, when Michael turned up as an afterthought in Jerry’s will. “Even in death,” the aggrieved son wrote, his famous father “continues to shun me! Why?” Michael likely died without knowing the high hopes Jerry had had at the beginning for his firstborn, high enough that he named him after his own hallowed dad. Like Michael, Joanne died without seeing a dime of new settlement money. With her passing in February 2011 at the age of 93, the checks from DC were cut off as agreed back in 1975, which might have but didn’t move Laura to try and settle her lawsuit. While she and Warren Peary vowed to press ahead, the courts wouldn’t let them. In October 2012, a federal district judge ruled that Joe’s heirs had signed away their rights to Superman in 1992; three months later a US appellate panel said Jerry’s heirs likewise had to stick by the agreement they made with Warner Bros. in 2001. While Toberoff and his clients can appeal, they aren’t likely to prevail, and while fans are split over which side to cheer for, all seem relieved that the bid by his creators and their heirs to reclaim Superman did not kill Superman. © 2012 Larry Tye.
[Comments in this “Off My Chest” guest editorial do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BACK ISSUE magazine or TwoMorrows Publishing.] LARRY TYE was an award-winning journalist at The Boston Globe and a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. A lifelong Superman fan, Tye now runs a Boston-based training program for medical journalists. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Satchel, as well as The Father of Spin, Home Lands, and Rising from the Rails, and co-author, with Kitty Dukakis, of Shock. He lives in Lexington, Massachusetts, and is currently writing a biography of Robert F. Kennedy. www.larrytye.com
© 2012 Larry Tye.
“I only wish I had the good fortune of reading Larry Tye’s book, Superman, before I made Superman: The Movie.” -Richard Donner, director
“If you liked reading The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, wait’ll you read Larry Tye’s TRUE story behind it all!” -Michael Uslan, comic-book historian and executive producer of the Batman movies
larrytye.com
law] is to give authors and their heirs a second bite at the apple, to enable them to finally profit from the market value of their creations,” said Toberoff. What about the fear—voiced not just by DC and Warner Bros. but by fans—that the lawsuit could impair and even end the Superman franchise itself by clouding the question of who owns the hero? “The notion that this could be the death of Superman is nonsense and studio counter-spin,” Toberoff said in 2011. “It’s clear that this is simply a financial matter. The Siegels are ready and willing to relicense their recaptured copyrights to Warner Bros. at a price that properly reflects that market value.” Toberoff had tried earlier to strike a deal with Jerry’s son, Michael Siegel, saying he had an investor who was interested in buying out Michael’s interest in the Superman copyright, which would have been 25 percent of any settlement agreed to by Joanne and Laura. But Michael died suddenly in 2006 from complications of knee surgery—without having approved Toberoff’s proposal, which was a fraction of what he would have received under DC’s settlement offer, and without a will to pass on his share of a future payout. Michael had never gotten the annual payments that Joanne did and he would never see a penny from his father’s role in creating Superman, which was par for Michael’s course. Jerry was in the Army for much of his only son’s early life. After he and Bella got divorced, when Michael was four, Jerry seldom visited, and he stopped paying child support when he hit hard economic times. Michael became a plumber, like Bella’s father, and lived with Bella in Cleveland until she died, just four years before he did. Near the end each took care of the other and both felt abandoned by Jerry. It was a strange way for a son who never got over the loss of his father to treat his own son, but Jerry was wrapped up in his own troubles and his new family. Jerry told everyone who asked how proud he was of Laura, his own Lois Lane and Supergirl, but seldom mentioned Michael. Michael kept a low profile and seldom talked about Superman or his father, who was a cherished native son in Cleveland and would eventually have his birthplace restored, with a plaque dubbing his street Jerry Siegel Lane and the cross street Lois Lane. What little Michael did say about Jerry, to friends and others, showed how torn he
TM
While mostly remembered today for its updated revivals of Golden Age superheroes, DC’s Showcase title actually featured a wide range of different comic-book genres. Introduced in 1956, Showcase was an “umbrella” magazine to test concepts on readers while avoiding the need to release several new titles concurrently. At the time, comics were at their lowest ebb; they were widely reviled by the general public, and the once-dominant superhero was almost extinct. Showcase was DC’s attempt to find “the next big thing” in comics. Ironically, as the first three attempts at new concepts (firemen, animal adventures, and a naval frogman) failed to find a market, it was the superhero that proved most popular with readers and got Showcase on a roll with successful features that were later spun off into their own titles. The most durable characters were new interpretations of Golden Age Justice Society heroes (Flash, Green Lantern, the Atom, the Spectre), while science-fiction heroes (Space Ranger, Adam Strange, Rip Hunter— Time Master) were also popular, as were teams of non-powered adventurers (Challengers of the Unknown, Sea Devils). Showcase also provided a platform to spotlight supporting or backup characters such as Aquaman, Lois Lane, Tommy Tomorrow, and Enemy Ace. In its later years, the magazine was used as a springboard for titles that were immediately launched in their own series (Beware the Creeper, The Hawk and the Dove, Bat Lash, Anthro, Angel and the Ape). Of course, not all features proved successful, and several issues were composed of reprints. New concepts B’wana Beast, Dolphin, Manhunter 2070, and Nightmaster fared poorly. Showcase was canceled with issue #93 in 1970, although the tryout concept was continued in 1975 with 1st Issue Special, which lasted for 13 issues. In 1977, Showcase was revived with issue #94, introducing the New Doom Patrol, followed by a three-part spotlight on the JSA’s Power Girl. [Editor’s note: Both 1st Issue Special and the revival of Showcase will be featured in BACK ISSUE #71, “Tryouts, One-Shots, and One-Hit Wonders.”]
CENTENARY ISSUE To celebrate this important magazine reaching its landmark 100th issue (cover-dated May 1978), editor Joe Orlando suggested a double-length story featuring a number of characters who had made their debut in the first 93 issues of Showcase. The first choices for writing the story were Steve Englehart and Len Wein, but when they proved unavailable, the assignment was passed to Paul Levitz. Due to a heavy workload, Levitz was unable to complete the issue, but he wrote a plot outline and then handed it over to Paul Kupperberg, writer of the New Doom Patrol issues. Penciling and inking were done by Joe Staton, who had illustrated the six preceding issues of Showcase.
The Gang’s All Here… …yep, the Inferior 5, Bat Lash, and Enemy Ace, too. The character-crammed cover of Showcase #100 (May 1978), penciled by Joe Staton and inked by Dick Giordano. TM & © DC Comics.
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by
Mike Pigott
Odd Couplings Staton’s original art to page 17 of Showcase #100, courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). Kupperberg and Levitz I.D.’ed most of these characters in dialogue, but for the record, clockwise from upper left: Windy and Willy (Windy and Willy repackaged Dobie Gillis tales), Anthro and Ne-Ahn, Sam Simeon (the Ape), Yellow Feather, Binky, Tommy Tomorrow, Dumb Bunny, Firehair, Awkwardman, Merryman, Angel O’Day, the Blimp, and Bat Lash. TM & © DC Comics.
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Rough Stuff Courtesy of artist Joe Staton, via Dan Johnson, Joe’s cover rough for Showcase #100. Compare it to the published version on page 38 and note that the placement of several characters was altered. TM & © DC Comics.
and are babysitting Anthro, Firehair, Bat Lash, Tommy Tomorrow, the Inferior Five, Windy and Willie, and Binky. Bored with inaction, Tommy Tomorrow takes Bat Lash and Angel in his spaceship to locate the source of the disturbance. Aquaman and the Sea Devils are helping rescue victims of a bridge collapse when Dolphin shows up to rescue Sugar and Spike from a sunken car. Green Lantern’s team have no success in stopping the Earth careening through space, until the Phantom Stranger suddenly appears and convinces them to hold a séance to summon the Spectre. The Challengers discover a weird, green, alien obelisk in the desert. Challenger Rocky manages to briefly open a porthole on the side, but Lois launches herself through it before it slams shut. Tommy Tomorrow discovers the other side of the alien formation, and he blasts a hole through it; this time the ditzy Angel O’Day jumps though the gap before it closes up. After fighting through a labyrinth of robots and dangerous radiation, Lois and Angel meet at a huge computer console in the center of the bizarre structure, where they discover a weird alien that looks like a cross between an amoeba and a folded sheet of paper. They decide their best option is to wreck the control panel, which forces the creature to jettison itself into space. Meanwhile, the Spectre is able to restore the Earth to its rightful position, which results in all the displaced characters being returned to their own times.
IS IT IN CONTINUITY? In the issue’s lettercol, Levitz explained that the original idea was to feature only those characters that had “graduated” from Showcase to their own ongoing titles; however, Staton added cameo appearances of several others who did not. The letters page included a guide to all the characters that appeared in the book, although there was no real attempt to feature everyone who had ever headlined in Showcase.
“THERE SHALL COME A GATHERING” The story opens with a large group of heroes gathered aboard the JLA satellite, while Flash announces that “something’s disrupting the fabric of time itself.” The other heroes (Green Lantern, Atom, Aquaman, Adam Strange, the Metal Men, the four original Teen Titans, Hawk and Dove, plus Rip Hunter and his team) concede that Earth has been experiencing unusual seismic and weather conditions, while people from the past and future have been displaced from their own eras and are turning up in the present. The gathered heroes have answered an appeal for help, although Superman, Batman and the rest of the JLA are (rather conveniently) described as being “away on a mission.” Atom and Adam Strange deduce that the Earth has been pulled out of its orbit and is being held in a massive stasis field. Green Lantern, Atom, Flash, and Adam Strange journey into outer space, where they encounter a massive yellow spacecraft guarded by a fleet of robots. They soon meet up with Space Ranger and his shape-shifting, alien companion Cryll, who have been transported from the 22nd Century. They team up to destroy the vegetable-like creature operating the ship. On Earth, the Metal Men try to control the panicked population while the Titans battle time-displaced Vikings and Nazis. The Challengers visit the WGBS building in Metropolis to triangulate the location of the disturbance using its huge TV transmitter. While there, they encounter Lois Lane and Jack Ryder. Lois joins them, and Ryder tags along in his Creeper identity. Angel O’Day and Sam Simeon (a.k.a. Angel and the Ape) transform their detective agency into a refuge for time-displaced people (and comedy-relief characters), 40 • BACK ISSUE • Tenth Anniversary Issue
There has often been some doubt as to whether this story was part of official DC pre–Crisis continuity. When Space Ranger made a guest appearance in a 1981 issue of Green Lantern, a reader wrote in to ask why the two characters did not recognize each other given they had met in Showcase #100. Editor Jack C. Harris responded that “Showcase #100 was obviously intended as a fun get-together … Enemy Ace and funny animals don’t really belong in the same story together unless tongue is firmly planted in cheek.” Given that Enemy Ace’s plane appeared in a corner of a single panel, and that talking gorillas are actually quite common in the DCU, this was not a very convincing argument, and may have been Harris’ way of papering over his own editorial oversight. A better answer may have been that the characters lost their memories of the events when time was restored to normal. While not every character that had appeared in Showcase was included, diverse figures ranging from Fireman Farrell, King Faraday, and Sgt. Rock were included in single panels by artist Joe Staton, although Sugar and Spike had not appeared in Showcase and were used by Staton as an in-joke. The index listed Nightmaster and Jason (from Jason’s Quest) as being in a crowd scene on page 8—but I can’t find them! The celebrations for Showcase reaching its century mark did not last long … it was canceled for good four issues later. However, this anniversary issue, whether accepted as being in continuity or not, is important for being something of a dress rehearsal for the groundbreaking Crisis on Infinite Earths. Both storylines featured numerous heroes from different eras teaming up to battle a common threat while time and space were in a state of flux. Crisis just had more characters and more dimensions. MIKE PIGOTT is a London-based freelance writer who specializes in diecast toys and model vehicles. His articles appear in every issue of Diecast Collector Magazine and Diecast Model World.
TM
Anniversary issues of comics publications have now become de rigueur. They mark an important milestone, and often much is made of it with a special interior story or at the very least, a cover designation.
HARVEY’S ANNIVERSARY ISSUES
TM
by
Mark Arnold
For Harvey Comics Publications, few of their comics made it to the honorary 100-issue mark, and even fewer made it to the 200-issue mark. None made it to 300. The highest number of issues assigned to a Harvey comic was for Sad Sack Comics, which ran 287 issues during its original run (a further five issues were published later on by Lorne-Harvey, but the grand total still falls short of 300). The first Harvey Publication to make it to the 100-issue milestone was Dick Tracy in June 1956, but this Harvey series was inherited from Dell as of #25. Blondie Comics made it in March 1957, but Harvey inherited it from David McKay with #16. Joe Palooka was the first series that originated at Harvey to reach #100, in April 1957. Over the years, many Harvey titles made it to #100: Baby Huey, Blondie Comics, Dagwood Comics, Dick Tracy, The Friendly Ghost Casper, Devil Kids, Felix the Cat, Harvey Hits, Hot Stuff, Little Dot, Little Lotta, Playful Little Audrey, Richie Rich, Richie Rich Dollars and Cents, Richie Rich Millions, Richie Rich Success Stories, Sad Sack Comics, Sad Sack and the Sarge, and Spooky. Special mention must be made to Richie Rich Diamonds, which honored its 50th issue on the cover, the only time an honor for an issue #50 was done. The 100-issue milestone wasn’t even mentioned on the covers of Baby Huey, Dick Tracy, The Friendly Ghost Casper, Harvey Hits, Hot Stuff, Little Dot, Richie Rich, and Spooky. It was just business as usual. Of those, only The Friendly Ghost Casper, Richie Rich, and Sad Sack Comics made it to #200, and only Casper and Richie Rich acknowledged the milestone with a story inside.
CASPER #200 (Oct. 1978) Casper the Friendly Ghost was originally published by St. John. Harvey took over with the sixth issue and continued to publish it until #70. Then, they restarted the series at #1 with the somewhat awkward title of The Friendly Ghost Casper after Harvey’s purchase of the Casper Paramount animated cartoons. When The Friendly Ghost Casper made it to #100 in 1966, nothing much was made of the fact. By #200 in October 1978, the issue was graced with one brand-new story. This was significant because The Friendly Ghost Casper had been in reprints since #173 in May 1974, with only two issues (#179 in May 1975 and #185 in April 1976) featuring new stories, all with a Cub Scout theme. The first story in The Friendly Ghost Casper #200, “The Enchanted Forest Foreman,” is brand new. This story
I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts A gaggle of specters and witches haunt the cheerful cover of The Friendly Ghost Casper #200 (Oct. 1978). TM & © Harvey Publications.
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In-Kremer-nating Evidence (top left) Legendary cartoonist Warren Kremer illustrated Casper #200’s lead story, “The Enchanted Forest Foreman.” That tale’s final page, with ghosts galore, is to the right. (top right) A celebratory scene concludes Richie Rich #200’s “Rip Van Richie.” Art by Ernie Colón. TM & © Harvey Entertainment.
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concerns an oversized man calling himself the Forest Foreman, who stomps out fires and generally bullies Casper, the Ghostly Trio, Spooky, Wendy, and the Enchanted Forest animals with his domineering, drillsergeant behavior. He even wears the uniform to match. After ten pages, the foreman is spooked off as the ghosts wear ear protection and eventually scare him away. This story is not that memorable considering that this is a milestone issue. The real highlight is seeing the incomparable Warren Kremer illustrating a new Casper story one last time. Although Kremer continued to draw front covers, this was one of the final new Casper stories issued during the original Harvey run before they closed their doors for restructuring in 1982. A few other new stories appeared in the five-issue Casper TV Showtime series in 1980, but these appear to be stories that were backlogged from 1973 when many of the Casper spin-off titles were canceled abruptly. “The Enchanted Forest Foreman” could very well have also been a backlogged story, but it was nice to have in a milestone issue a previously unpublished story featuring virtually all of the Enchanted Forest characters except Nightmare and the Witch Sisters, who do appear on Kremer’s cover flying around an enormous #200. It is believed that Stan Kay wrote this story, as he and Kremer were writing and drawing the various Hostess snack-cake ads for the comic books around this time, and it seems natural that they would have collaborated here.
RICHIE RICH #200 (Mar. 1981) The next and more significant Harvey anniversary issue came in the form of Richie Rich #200 (Mar. 1981), which again featured new stories, but the Richie Rich series was Harvey’s only monthly title at the time and always featured new stories. The first story was “Rip Van Richie.” It is Richie’s birthday and he falls asleep and becomes old, but still a child! He now sports a white beard and white hair. His friend Jackie Jokers also has white hair and a mustache, but is also still a kid. Cadbury, the butler, ages more and now has white hair, glasses, and wrinkles, as does Chef Pierre. Richie’s dog, Dollar, now walks with a cane, and Bascomb, the chauffeur, Mayda Munny, Mr. Cheepers, Nurse Jenny, Irona, Freckles, Pee-Wee, Gloria, Mr. Woody, Richie’s parents, and the evil villain called the Onion are all shown as elderly. It all turns out to be a dream and at the end, the entire cast wishes Richie a happy birthday. The ten-page story was drawn by Ernie Colón and presumably written by Lennie Herman, who tended to write Richie’s more humorous stories. The second story in the issue is called “200” and looks to be produced by the same creative team. In this story, Richie discovers a number of coincidences surrounding the number 200. In the end, he decides to play the lottery and gets entry number 200. When the winner is announced, the winning number is … 356! Richie calls in to ask where number 200 finished and is told that it finished in 200th place! The issue has a couple of unrelated one-page gags and finishes out with a story called “Early to Bed,” which was the first story that originally appeared in Richie Rich #1 in 1960, also drawn by Colón. This was not the first Richie story ever. That honor goes to “The Dancing Lesson,” which originally appeared in Little Dot #1 from 1953.
Warren Kremer drew the cover of this special issue. Harvey Comics lumbered on through 1982 and after a restructuring, published from 1986–1994. Harvey’s characters have been issued sporadically through the years, with the most recent comics emerging from APE Entertainment’s KiZoic line. With Dreamworks’ recent acquisition of Classic Media, which now own the Harvey characters, there is the possibility of more anniversary celebrations. Only time will tell.
Little Lotto (left) Yeah, like this pampered “poor little rich boy” needs to play the lottery! Splash from issue #200’s “200.” (right) Kremer’s cover for Richie Rich #200 (Mar. 1981) makes it no secret that this in an anniversary edition.
MARK ARNOLD is a respected historian of comic books and animation. He has written books about Harvey Comics, Underdog, Cracked, The Beatles, and Disney and has done DVD commentaries for Shout Factory. He is currently at work on another book about Harvey and hosts a podcast interview segment for The Geek Speak Show.
Tenth Anniversary Issue
TM & © Harvey Entertainment.
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Fantastic Four #200 (Nov. 1978) and Amazing Spider-Man #200 (Jan. 1980) bring back fond memories for those who have read them. Both books had the same fantastic creative team: writer Marv Wolfman and artist Keith Pollard. Wolfman was part of a new wave of Marvel writers— including Gerry Conway, Len Wein, and earlier, Roy Thomas—who worked on Stan Lee’s creations in the early 1970s after Stan the Man stopped writing them … specifically, the two then-flagships of Marvel, Fantastic Four and Amazing Spider-Man. At that time, the pool of writers was limited, and it was common to see the same person writing both titles. Yet Marv Wolfman would be the last person for some time to write both series. It would take years before another writer, Tom DeFalco, would write significant runs on both titles, but not at the same time. Wolfman took over both books from Len Wein, who had decided to go back to DC Comics. As Marv said in Tom DeFalco’s Comic Book Creators on Spider-Man (Titan Books, 2004), “I asked Archie [Goodwin, Marvel’s editor-in-chief at the time] for Fantastic Four because I really wanted to write it. I loved that book. Archie told me that he would only give me Fantastic Four if I would also take Amazing. (…) I learned within two issues that I had no facility for writing Fantastic Four, and absolutely loved writing Amazing.”
WOLFMAN ON FANTASTIC FOUR His run as writer/editor on FF began with a fill-in recap issue (#190, Jan. 1977), and after a few issues plotted by Wein and scripted by other writers, Wolfman took over the book with issue #195 (June 1978) and would stay until issue #216 (Mar. 1980). But he never really enjoyed writing the book, as he told DeFalco: “I think Fantastic Four intimidated me because it was my favorite title at Marvel. (…) The frustration of not being able to do what Stan and Jack [Kirby] did was just awful.” For his debuts, Fantastic Four #190 is an odd recap issue, as it re-presents all the times when one of the members left the team. As one reads it, it looks like the FF spent most of the 1970s arguing, changing its roster, or losing their powers. But basically, such was the situation when Wolfman took over. The team had split, Reed Richards had lost his powers and taken a job in a research company, the Thing and the Human Torch were living on their own, and Susan Richards was offered a part in a movie in Hollywood. One of Wolfman’s goals was to write the team with its classic roster, not with the substitute members that transitioned in and out of the group. In the countdown to issue #200 (Nov. 1978), Wolfman reunites the team, adds a mastermind villain (Dr. Doom), gives Reed his powers back, and provides a plot that would permit a grand finale with an epic battle and a memorable victory.
Stretcho Strikes Back Mr. Fantastic vs. Dr. Doom on the Jack Kirby/ Joe Sinnott cover of Fantastic Four #200 (Nov. 1978). The issue’s interior penciler, Keith Pollard—abetted by inker Joe Rubinstein—reimagines this image as the cover of next July’s BACK ISSUE #74, our “Fantastic Four in the Bronze Age” issue. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
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by
Franck Martini
For the plot, Wolfman reuses most of the elements already established. The research company turns out to be led by a clone of Dr. Doom and is also a trap to attract Reed. Doom’s idea is first to steal the powers of the FF, then transfer them (at least partly) to his clone, who will become the next king of Latveria. In parallel, a powerful construct is supposed to mind-wipe delegates of the United Nations so that Doom can … take over the world. To this, add Namor the Sub-Mariner, the Red Ghost, a mysterious villain called the Invincible Man, a revolution in the works, Nick Fury, and Alicia Masters, and you get a roller-coaster ride that starts with issue #195 and culminates with issue #200. Reed Richards is clearly the focus of this storyline, and the rest of the trio sometimes struggle to get some space in this story (especially the Human Torch). Keith Pollard was already drawing the book since issue #193 (Apr. 1978), and after a few issues by different inkers, Joe Sinnott came back to “his” book. Issue #200 itself is the first double-sized comic composed only of new material. In short, Marv Wolfman invented the concept of the extra-sized, super-special anniversary issue. The cover was drawn by Jack Kirby and clearly announced what the book was all about: the ultimate fight between Reed Richards and Victor von Doom. The story solves most of the running plots and culminates with a striking image of Doom, without his mask, and seeing his scarred face reflected on the thousands of mirrors of his construct. The issue is also spectacular because even if there are several plots dangling, FF #200 can be read on its own and remains totally understandable for the casual reader. My only criticism is that as Wolfman really took over five issues before, some ideas sometimes feel a bit rushed and some plots are a bit leftover in order to get things moving.
Beginnings: Blackhawk #242 (Aug.–Sept. 1968)
Milestones: Tomb of Dracula / Amazing Spider-Man / Fantastic Four / The Man Called Nova / The New Teen Titans / Action Comics / Night Force / Crisis on Infinite Earths / History of the DC Universe / Teen Titans animated series / creator or co-creator of Blade, Bullseye, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, Deathstroke the Terminator, and Cat Grant, as well as the businessman interpretation of Lex Luthor
Recent Works: Night Force revival / Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two video game
Website: www.marvwolfman.com
marv wolfman
Master of Disaster Dr. Doom dominates the proceedings on pages 16 (left) and 42 of the doublesized classic, Fantastic Four #200 (Nov. 1978). Script by Marv Wolfman, art by Keith Pollard and Joe Sinnott. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
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WOLFMAN ON AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Amazing Spider-Man #200 (Jan. 1980) provides an even better experience because Marv, who started working on ASM with issue #182 (July 1978), had plenty of time to launch all the subplots that would lead to this anniversary story. If we have to envision the overall tone of the issues that build up to the anniversary issue, the theme would be maturity. As Wolfman reflected in 2004, “A decision had been made to make Peter older for some reason. (…) When the decision was made to graduate Peter, I felt we needed to forget how old he actually was. (…) I didn’t like the idea of letting him get married or have kids.” So Peter proposed to Mary Jane Watson, was rejected by her, and then sort-of graduated in artist Ross Andru’s final issue on the book (#185, Oct. 1978). The countdown to Amazing Spider-Man #200 actually started in issue #192 (May 1979) when the burglar who killed Peter’s Uncle Ben came back; then, in issue #195 (Aug. 1979), Aunt May is killed off-panel. The next four issues prepare the final confrontation between Spider-Man and the burglar, including a brutal fight against the Kingpin, and one against Mysterio that leaves Spider-Man for dead at the end of issue #199 (Dec. 1979). The first page of ASM #200 shows that Spider-Man had only temporarily lost his powers. This was a very clever way, albeit a strange one, to lead such an anniversary story: a powerless Spider-Man fighting the man who caused him to become a crimefighter. With his powers, Spider-Man would have ended the fight in mere panels, but here the fight is more physical and provides some striking scenes like the revelation that Aunt May was not dead and when Spider-Man removes his mask, much like Batman did when he encountered Joe Chill, his parents’ murderer. Once again, one of Wolfman’s strengths is to make the issue accessible to any reader, and this story—even if it has not been reprinted frequently—can be viewed as a great mirror issue to Spidey’s debut in Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962). It is on its own a classic that deserves a far greater place in the Spider-Man pantheon, and is the pinnacle of Wolfman’s excellent run on the book. Artistically, penciler Keith Pollard and inker Jim Mooney manage to give a nod to classic Spider-Man artists Steve Ditko and John Romita, Sr., while bringing a very personal vibe. This, and the way he gave such a classic look to his FF, shows the adaptability of the talented Pollard. Over 30 years later, both books are still fantastic reads and can be viewed as some of the best milestone issues ever produced on ASM or FF. Marv Wolfman took some time to answer a few questions about his experience as a writer on such key moments and his feelings on the importance of anniversary issues. It appears that deep down, the fan inside the pro was never buried too far when these books were being produced. FRANCK MARTINI: Amazingly, you are one of the few FF writers who kept the classic roster all along his run. You took over the book as the team was split (as it frequently happened in the ’70s). What was your overall ambition on the title? MARV WOLFMAN: As a fan, I was tired of seeing the FF split up time and again. It felt old in the been-there/done-that sort of way. So my idea was to keep them together and just have adventures the way Stan and Jack had done. MARTINI: Was issue #200 already in the works when you took over, and what was your goal? WOLFMAN: I devised the idea for issue #200, but it wasn’t easy to do. Back then, nobody had ever done a double-sized comic except for the Annuals. Everyone (the higher-ups at Cadence) was certain that doubling the size of issue #200 would not sell at 25 cents. But I fought for it and they gave in. The book sold even better than a regular issue and that began the concept of doublesized comics for all anniversaries. I had no problem convincing them to do the same for Amazing Spider-Man #200. Anyway, I wanted to do something big. MARTINI: Fantastic Four #200 is the ultimate Reed Richards vs. Dr. Doom fight. Why was Reed such a central piece in this storyline? WOLFMAN: I always felt because Reed didn’t have a strong personality, as opposed to the Thing or the Torch, that he was downplayed. Also, he’s the core
Cry “Uncle”! (top) John Romita, Sr. had the honors of drawing the cover for Spidey’s bicentennial, but (bottom) the Keith Pollard/Jim Mooney combo handled the interior art. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
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of the group—FF is a family science/adventure series. It also features the best villain in comics, Dr. Doom, and because Stan and Jack had linked them as old friends and scientists, I wanted to do a massive, emotional battle between them. Again, as a fan I hated the idea that every confrontation between hero and villain was indecisive. I wanted a real confrontation with a real climax and I wanted it to be personal and emotional. MARTINI: What is your general feeling on your run on FF? WOLFMAN: I loved the Fantastic Four, but felt as a writer, except for issue #200, that I never did the job on the title I wanted to. Stan and Jack had left huge footprints and I didn’t feel, except for that issue, that I filled them at all. MARTINI: You were the writer on Amazing Spider-Man for a while before issue #200. How far ahead was it planned? WOLFMAN: Issue #200 came to me about a third of the way through my run. With the success of FF #200, I knew I needed to do something large and emotional, and that meant bringing some satisfaction to the Spider-Man burglar story. MARTINI: Why did you choose to bring back the burglar? WOLFMAN: By the way, why is he called “the burglar” when he should be called “the murderer?” [laughs] The Spidey series wasn’t motivated by a robbery but by Uncle Ben’s death and Spider-Man’s guilt about it. MARTINI: So this issue was more of a Peter Parker story than a Spider-Man story, right? WOLFMAN: Issue #200 was meant to be a personal story. And since I felt Spidey was more about Peter than the guy in the blue-and-red suit, I felt the anniversary should be about him and not just another big villain brawl. MARTINI: After her apparent death a few issues before, you brought back Aunt May during this issue. Do you remember the fan reaction? WOLFMAN: I don’t remember anything about the fan reaction to Aunt May’s fake death. But it was the first time we’d ever had her “die,” which has been repeated endlessly ever since. MARTINI: On these issues, Keith Pollard was paired with Joe Sinnott and Jim Mooney (classic inkers of FF and ASM), covers by Jack Kirby and John Romita—were you looking for a classic aspect on these stories, at least visually? WOLFMAN: I thought Keith did a fantastic job making both the FF and Spidey harken back to Jack and Steve’s work. Those two series are very different, hence Stan preferring Steve over Jack for Spidey, but Keith pulled it off wonderfully. I worked with [Pollard] again at DC on Vigilante. He’s a great talent and a really good guy. MARTINI: Finally, how important are anniversary issues for you as a writer? WOLFMAN: As a fan I felt the anniversary issues should be important. They really hadn’t been before. The most I remembered was the Superman silver anniversary and a special cover, but no special story. Here is where I felt the fan aspect of my professional career would make it as special as I thought it should be.
They Got What’s Comin’ to ’Em (top) The WallCrawler becomes burglar-basher at the conclusion of Wolfman’s Amazing Spider-Man #200. (bottom) Similarly, Doom took a fall at the end of FF #200.
FRANCK MARTINI discovered the Spider-Man daily strip in the French TV guide at the age of three. After that, “Nothing would ever be the same again.” When no one is watching, he is also an intranet manager with a patient wife and two daughters.
TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
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Neal Adams Fires Back in CBC #3! ™
A Tw o M o r r o w s P u b l i c a t i o n
No. 3, Fall 2013
Journey through the artist’s BATMAN: ODYSSEY with COMIC BOOK CREATOR! COMIC BOOK CREATOR #3 spotlights NEAL ADAMS’ BATMAN: ODYSSEY (the recent 13-issue DC Comics mini-series written and drawn by the comics legend), in a unique, comprehensive examination of an artist and his work. We grapple with the question: is the book a masterwork for the ages, or an epic fail of mythic proportions? CBC goes in deep with the creator to examine his intent, with Adams vigorously responding to critics, as we balance the successes and weaknesses of the quintessential Batman artist’s ultimate take on a beloved character — all behind a new Neal Adams Darknight Detective cover, and lushly illustrated throughout with a bodacious bevy of Batman art by the master illustrator! Plus we interview SEAN HOWE about his hit book, MARVEL COMICS: THE UNTOLD STORY; chat with DENYS COWAN about his work and much more; honor CARMINE INFANTINO; check in on Harbinger writer JOSHUA DYSART; take a wide look at the biggest comic book of them all, WHAM-O-GIANT COMICS; present the final installment of our LES DANIELS remembrance; and, as always, check out HEMBECK! Be here in October for CBC’s tremendous third ish! (And don’t miss next summer’s double-size Annual, featuring CBC editor JON B. COOKE and JORGE KHOURY’s long-awaited SWAMPMEN material, the definitive history of the most horrifying creatures of all! Subscribe now, and it’ll be included in your subscription, in all its murky goodness!)
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Anniversary issues. They’re always a sure bet for a publisher to give you more bang for your buck (much like the issue you’re now reading). But with the passage of time, they can also provide an unexpected bonus: a peek into the era in which they were made.
BATMAN #300 (June 1978): “THE LAST BATMAN STORY -- ?”
by
John
Like most anniversary issues, 1978’s double-sized Batman #300 is a reflection of the time in which it was produced: It’s a densely plotted standalone story by a single writer and artist team, with editor Julius Schwartz’s penchant for scientific trivia peppered throughout. The script is by David V. Reed (an alias for 1950s Batman writer Dave Vern, who returned to the Caped Crusader in the 1970s), with Walter Simonson and Dick Giordano providing the striking Tr u m b u l l visuals for the issue. Layout artist Walter Simonson recalls how he got the assignment for Batman #300: “Initially, Dick Giordano was supposed to pencil and ink the issue. I got a phone call one day, pretty much out of the blue, from Paul Levitz. Paul at that time was kind of the keeper of the schedules. The book was coming up on eight weeks from shipping. Paul wanted to know if I could do layouts that Dick would be able to ink straight from. The book was close enough to deadline that there was some concern of missed shipping. This was before royalties were being offered by companies, so they offered what was then called walter simonson hazard pay, which meant it was one-and-a-half times your page rate. That was a bonus for doing it and doing it in a hurry, and for helping out DC. I said, ‘Sure.’ So they sent me David’s script, I did the layouts, Dick inked it, and it made it out on time.” Years before The Dark Knight Returns, Batman #300 offers a glimpse into how Batman might retire. Decades in the future, Gotham City has grown into part of Megalopolis-East, a massive city encompassing most of the East Coast. At Gotham International Airport, the now-adult Robin (in the Neal Adams-designed costume of his Earth-Two counterpart) is supervising the emergency transfer of a comatose patient to Columbia Space Hospital. When the transfer capsule is attacked by three villains in a helicopter, an aged Batman arrives just in time to save the day. The three attackers are dressed all in blue, with their skin painted to match. When the leader of the blue-man group spontaneously
(Bat-)Man of Tomorrow Dick Giordano’s powerful cover to Batman #300 (June 1978). And look—it’s another appearance of that awesome 1970s adult Robin costume! TM & © DC Comics.
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Visi-Phoning Gordon (left) Batman #300’s depiction of the retired—but still helpful—Commissioner Gordon. Art by Walter Simonson and Dick Giordano. (right) Panels from page 7.
combusts, the Dynamic Duo is left mystified as to who’s behind it all. Back at the Batcave underneath the Wayne Foundation Building, Wayne International President Richard Grayson fills in the now-gray-templed Bruce Wayne on the situation: After a mysterious encounter with a bullet-scarred man at a party, Dick is threatened and Wayne International falls victim to several acts of industrial sabotage. Dick hires the intelligence operative Annie Morgan (the patient going to the space hospital) to investigate, but she is only able to get out two cryptic messages before she’s discovered and incapacitated. The Dynamic Duo follow the clues and discovers the existence of a villainous organization with divisions numbering 475 and 760. The 475-Connection’s botched attack on Annie Morgan results in her killing being reassigned to 760. After foiling a second assassination attempt on Morgan by red-garbed
TM & © DC Comics.
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assassins at the Columbia Space Station, Batman deduces that 475 and 760 refer to the color wavelengths of blue and red, leading him to the name of the organization—Spectrum. The need to stop them becomes even more critical when Spectrum steals Wayne International’s primary computer banks, threatening the crash of the entire Wayne empire. Aiding the duo in their investigation are Alfred (still a faithful butler even in his twilight years) and a balding Commissioner Gordon (retired in Maine and writing his memoirs), the latter of whom offers some tantalizing teases on the final fates of the Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, Catwoman, and the Riddler. Ultimately tracking Spectrum to the pueblo cliff dwellings of Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park, an increasingly nostalgic Batman, along with Robin, infiltrates a summit meeting at a natural amphitheater. There, they uncover the real, invisible powers behind the Spectrum organization—villains called Infrared and Ultraviolet. Infrared panics upon their discovery, accidentally setting off the air-mines around he and his partner, killing them instantly. Without their ringleaders, the Spectrum syndicate is brought to justice, and the Wayne data banks are recovered. In an epilogue at the Wayne Foundation, Bruce finally reveals what’s been eating at him for the entire case: He’s been asked to run for governor by a politicalreform coalition. Discouraged by both his age and the growing mechanization of crimefighting, Bruce tells Dick that he’s strongly considering accepting the nomination: “True, I’ve gained a measure of vengeance … and what one man can do, I’ve done! But now perhaps it’s time—in this day and age—and at my age—to continue the fight in another way … on another front, with other means! And there’s something else to consider—the woman I love, and marriage—and perhaps, children … like those fine twin sons of yours, Bruce and James! “So … the fact is, I’ve thought things out to a point where I have only two questions: One to ask—will she marry me? And one to answer—will I run for governor?” “And when do I get the answers?” Dick asks. “Tomorrow!” Bruce snaps back, leaving Dick alone to contemplate the past—and possible future— of Batman and Robin.
than face the Dark Knight again, leaving the Joker, the Penguin, the BATMAN #400 (Oct. 1986): “RESURRECTION NIGHT!” By the time Batman #400 rolled around in 1986, the standalone stories Riddler, Poison Ivy, the Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Deadshot, Catman, of the ’70s had given way to the more continuity-oriented approach of Killer Moth, the Mad Hatter, the Cavalier, Black Spider, and Dagger the ’80s, complete with a teaser story leading into the issue. After years to go up against Batman. Meeting their mysterious benefactor at of writing two-part tales starting in Batman and concluding in Detective a windmill outside of Gotham, the remaining Bat-foes agree to carry Comics, Batman writer Doug Moench was excited for the opportunity out his plan. While the newly unified foes start kidnapping Batman’s friends and to tell a single story under one set of covers. And Moench rose to the challenge, crafting a 12-chapter epic in this triple-sized anniversary allies, the mastermind of the plot makes himself known. In a superb issue, alongside a murderers’ row of artists: John Byrne, Steve Lightle, sequence recalling his debut in Batman #232, Ra’s al Ghul appears Bruce D. Patterson, George Pérez, Paris Cullins, Larry Mahlstedt, Bill before Batman in the Batcave, revealing that he’s the one responsible Sienkiewicz, Arthur Adams, Terry Austin, Tom Sutton, Ricardo Villagran, for the “Know Your Foes” message and the subsequent jailbreaks. Ra’s makes the Dark Knight an offer: “Join me in reshaping the world, Steve Leialoha, Joe Kubert, Ken Steacy, Rick Leonardi, Karl Kesel, and detective, and I will help you recapture your foes … or, if you Brian Bolland. The issue also features a special introduction prefer, even eliminate them forever. Once they are by Stephen King, along with pinups from Mike Grell, eliminated, your obligation to Gotham would cease— Michael W. Kaluta, Bernie Wrightson, and Steve Rude. freeing you to join me in the rest of the world.” The And, just like the preceding 100 issues before, issue offer, and Ra’s’ final taunt of “Happy Anniversary,” #400 provides a snapshot of this era’s Batman. infuriates Batman to the point of his knocking over It’s Batman’s anniversary in Gotham City, but the Batcave’s giant penny. the Caped Crusader is in no mood to celebrate: Tracking a clue from the Riddler over to the After receiving a “Know Your Foes” cryptic note dive bar the Belly of the Whale, Batman and Robin in Detective Comics #566, Batman is at a loss as to discover the names of the villains’ new hostages: which of his foes it is referring, who sent the Harvey Bullock, Vicki Vale, and Julia and Alfred message to him, and why. As Batman and Robin Pennyworth. A despondent Batman lets his foes go, (Jason Todd) contemplate these questions, twin but Catwoman, who in this era of Batman continuity explosions erupt at both Arkham Asylum and was on the side of the angels, witnesses the villains Gotham State Penitentiary, freeing all of the doug moench leaving the bar and decides to aid the Dynamic Darknight Detective’s foes in a single night. Duo on her own. Meanwhile, the Joker’s team has The big breakout in #400 led to an amusing anecdote for writer Doug Moench when writing Batman #500 in encased Police Headquarters in a gigantic electrified net, trapping 1993: “The odd thing about that was, years later, now we’re doing Commissioner Gordon and 35 policemen inside. Returning to Wayne Manor and discovering the aftermath of Alfred’s the ‘Knightfall’ storyline which leads into Batman #500, and at one of these Bat-meets [writers/editors retreats], someone has the bright kidnapping, Batman begins to give in to despair: “Alfred, Julia, Vicki, idea for all the villains to break out of Arkham Asylum at the same Bullock, Gordon … too many victims to save, too many foes to fight. time, and I said, ‘I already did that! I did that in #400!’ And their [Ra’s] meant to show me how hopeless it all is … how futile. And attitude was, ‘Eh, so what? We’ll just do it again.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, perhaps he’s finally succeeded… perhaps he’s right about me and my but I’m the writer again! The same guy is going to do it again? methods … about my world.” Batman is broken out of this morbid reverie by the arrival of Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter Talia, whose willingness C’mon!’ And I couldn’t talk them out of it. So we did it again.” A small faction of the escaped enemies, including Two-Face, to defy her father and stand with her beloved even to the death convinces Mr. Freeze, and Clayface III, decide to go off on their own rather Batman that his is a fight worth fighting.
All-Star Comics (left) If you can pry your eyes away from this spellbinding Bill Sienkiewicz cover art for a moment, just look at that creator roster appearing in Batman #400 (Oct. 1986)! (right) The John Byrne-drawn intro page to Batman #400. TM & © DC Comics.
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Gotham’s Grim Guardian… …and a gargoyle, as rendered by Mike Grell. Original art to one of Batman #400’s pinups, courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.
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Together with Catwoman, Batman manages to free his friends from the Riddler, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, and the Scarecrow, while Robin and Talia work to free police headquarters from the Joker, the Penguin, the Mad Hatter, and the rest. After tricking the Joker into revealing the location of Ra’s’ hideout, Batman and his allies raid the caverns underneath Ra’s al Ghul’s windmill headquarters. For the first time ever, Ra’s immerses himself in the Lazarus Pit before dying, giving him the great strength and madness that are the hallmarks of his resurrections, but rapidly burning out his body in the process. Dodging an attack by Ra’s, the Batman flips his enemy into the pit once again, just before an earthquake engulfs the entire cavern. As Batman gathers his rescued friends in the Batcave for an official celebration of his anniversary, the aftershocks of the earthquake break loose a single stalactite, which lands in the center of the cake Alfred and Robin prepared. Batman takes it as an omen: “A single ‘candle’ … to mark the first night of a new beginning.” With many of his enemies still on the loose from the twin breakouts, Batman renews his commitment to his cause: “Hello again. Beware … forever.” Writer Doug Moench knew who most of the artists for Batman #400 would be beforehand, and he tailored his story accordingly: “I tried to play to those artists’ strengths, as I saw them. Like the [Bill] Sienkiewicz chapter [where Ra’s confronts Batman in the Batcave], I tried to give him something that he could really sink his teeth into, and I think he did. And Art Adams, who is one of my favorites, he did a great job on [his] chapter. And Brian Bolland—oh, boy! That was no mistake that I gave that [climactic] chapter to him. Yeah, I tried to think it out as much as I could.” Of course, writing a single story for over a dozen artists—and their diverse schedules—led to a few challenges: “I think I had to write one chapter out of order. The only way we could get Joe Kubert to do it was if he had it tomorrow. It had to be sent overnight to his house, or else he would not be able to do it. So I just got off the phone and did it right then and shot it off to him. And then I went back to the beginning and, ‘Now, how do I fit that into [my plot]?’ But I had a pretty detailed overall idea. That was the hardest part about writing the Joe Kubert chapter—now I’ve got to figure this whole thing out before I can write these four measly pages! That took the most time. Writing the actual four pages for him was the least of it.” Batman #400 was the end of an era in more ways than one: The very next issue featured Magpie, a villain from John Byrne’s Superman reboot Man of Steel, firmly placing Batman in the post–Crisis era. Just three issues after that, Batman: Year One began, ushering in a brand-new background for the Dark Knight for the 1980s. Denny O’Neil assumed the editorship from Len Wein, and the Dark Knight began to leave the Bronze Age behind. Doug Moench recalls an extra-special memory associated with Batman #400: “After it was done, that summer I was invited to some convention—it must’ve been Atlanta—and I remember going down the elevator to a big, common room where all the attendees of the convention would sit on the couches and the chairs, a lounge type area, and I remember the elevator doors opening and me stepping out, and I swear, literally every one of these hundreds of people all had Batman #400 up to their faces. “What happened was, it had just come out, and one of those really big dealers got it like six hours before
The Devil You Say!
the real release, and he made a big deal of, ‘It will be here at 2:13 pm! Get in line for your copy!’ and everybody bought it from this one guy. They all bought it at the same time, and then they all went to the same place, and they all sat down and started reading it at the same time. I walked right through all these people, their noses were glued to the books; they didn’t even look up at me! And I thought, ‘Wow, I’ll never see anything like this again, I’m sure!’”
Michael W. Kaluta’s Batman #400 pinup, “Batman Has Gone to Hell,” colored by Adrienne Roy.
JOHN TRUMBULL also wrote issue #64’s retrospective on Nemesis. His artwork can be seen at http://johntrumbull.deviantart.com/ and in the weekly feature The Line It Is Drawn at http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/. He would like to thank Walter Simonson, Doug Moench, and Steve Lightle for sharing their memories for this article and editor Michael Eury for his indulgence and understanding.
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TM & © DC Comics.
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DC Comics’ Detective Comics, the long-running title from which the company took its name, didn’t begin celebrating anniversaries until issue #387 (May 1969). There, marking the 30th anniversary of the Caped Crusader, the influence of the fans was clear as letterhack-turned-writer Mike Friedrich retold Batman’s first adventure, “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate,” under the title “The Cry of the Night is—‘Sudden Death!’” Friedrich and artists Bob Brown and Joe Giella took 17 pages to cover the same territory that Bill Finger and Bob Kane mined in the first six-page Batman story, which was handily reprinted in the same issue. A few years later, editor Julie Schwartz used the occasion of ’Tec #400 (June 1970) to usher in a brandnew foe, using a variation on the title character’s name. Writer Frank Robbins and artist Neal Adams introduced Kirk Langstrom, a.k.a. Man-Bat, who caught on with the fans and has remained a fixture ever since. Oddly, #450 (Aug. 1975) was a fairly ordinary issue, as Schwartz was clearly losing interest in Batman. Four years later, he opted to retain the Superman titles, letting rising editor Paul Levitz inherit the keys to the Batcave. In fairly short order, the young editor revamped Detective and Batman, and for the first time ensured that The Brave and the Bold would be consistent with current events in Gotham City. As the company’s editorial coordinator as well as editing a handful of titles, Levitz noted that Detective Comics #500 was rapidly approaching the horizon and set to work. While the handful of earlier anniversary issues were fun events, Levitz wanted to make this one extraordinary. By 1980, comics shops and the directsales market had grown deep roots, and publishers knew they could cater a bit to the fans. As a result, Paul received approval for the most momentous anniversary issue the company had ever attempted: an 80-page, squarebound book without ads, selling for a whopping $1.50, three times the price for a normal issue. With the book carrying a March 1981 cover date, it had a December 22, 1980 on-sale date, meaning it was shipping from World Color Press in Sparta, Illinois, around Thanksgiving. Paul had to close editorial production on this mammoth book in early October, but being the hyper-organized person he is, work was well underway in the spring. When I arrived at DC’s 75 Rockefeller Plaza offices in June 1980, I was there on a temporary basis. I had graduated college a few weeks before, but my job at Starlog Press wasn’t going to start until September, so Paul kindly hired me on to do some work that needed doing. It resulted in a hodgepodge of assignments, usually starting every morning as Karen Berger, his assistant editorial coordinator, handed me the lettered pages that had arrived (some from freelance production artists, plus a
Loaded with Talent The interior artists of Detective Comics #500 (Mar. 1981) also provided its jam cover. TM & © DC Comics.
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Robert Greenberger
Gotham Anniversaries (top left) As the Silver Age was winding down, Detective Comics #387 (May 1969) celebrated Batman’s 30th anniversary. Cover by Irv Novick. (top right) Issue #400 (June 1970) did little to toast its milestone numbering, but it did introduce the first new Bat-“villain” of the Bronze Age, Man-Bat. Cover by Neal Adams. (below) Screenwriter and novelist Alan Brennert penned one of his few DC stories for ’Tec #500, “To Kill a Legend,” illustrated by Dick Giordano. TM & © DC Comics.
huge stack from legendary letterer Ben Oda, who had labored deep into the night at a drawing table). These were copies of penciledand-lettered pages as a hedge against pages getting lost. I was also charged with reading everything in the print library to help create what became the company’s first property catalogue. Thankfully, I was housed in a centrally located (tiny) office, with two desks jammed against one another. The other desk was occupied by another temp, a guy president Jenette Kahn hired weeks earlier to help her plan a 40th-anniversary celebration for Wonder Woman: Andy Helfer and I were the same age and shared the space quite happily. With most of the freelance talent at that time residing in the tri-state area, this meant we met many of the writers and artists we admired since childhood. Every Friday, writer Bob Haney would come in to deliver scripts and regaled the two of us with stories late into the afternoon. Up-and-coming writer [J. M.] Marc DeMatteis was also hanging out with us when he visited, so we got to see both ends of the spectrum, of writers seasoned and new. Across from us was Murray Boltinoff’s office, and at least once a week the halls were filled with the rising voices between the veteran editor and Bob Kanigher, the prolific writer. They’d be arguing over stories and editorial decisions Boltinoff made to Kanigher’s work, but it also gave us an insight into the process. Soon after arriving, if memory serves, we had a special guest visitor to the offices. Walter Gibson, the pulp writer who turned radio’s unseen narrator of Street & Smith’s Detective Story Hour into the two-gunned crimefighter The Shadow, was delivering his anniversary contribution to Detective #500. Levitz, a fan of Gibson’s Shadow pulps thanks to the paperback reprints in the 1960s and early 1970s, thought it would be fun if the writer provided a prose Batman tale for the book. While Batman and The Shadow met twice in 1973, Gibson was not involved in those stories. Gibson, 82 at the time, was introduced around to everyone, including the young “interns” (or whatever we were dubbed). It meant, though, that we’d be pulled off assignment du jour for whatever needed doing right then on Detective #500. On more than one occasion, Paul would grab me after lunch and hand me a package. Within was the wraparound cover to the issue that was going to be a jam piece from all the interior artists. Someone, possibly Ross Andru, who was in the offices daily, worked out the layout, and Levitz carefully saw to it that each character and artist had space while keeping with the title’s theme. Back in the pre–Federal Express days, that meant I was dispatched to the Tenth Anniversary Issue
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Drawn Together Some of Batman’s Justice League allies starred in solo stories, including (left) Hawkman and Hawkwoman, drawn by Joe Kubert (in a tale featuring a Martian Manhunter cameo), and (center) the Elongated Man, illo’ed by José Luis García-López. (right) The hard-boiled gumshoe Slam Bradley may have headlined this story in #500, but he was joined by many of Detective’s other sleuths, including the Human Target, Roy Raymond– TV Detective, and Pow-Wow Smith. Splash panel art by Jim Aparo. TM & © DC Comics.
post office under Rockefeller Center to stand in the Detective, Captain Compass, and Pow-Wow Smith into slow-moving queue to ship it off to the next person on one mystery. Each character once had a backup feature the list using Special Delivery. during the title’s run, but the star of the story was Slam This also meant, of course, that as each piece of the Bradley, the Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster creation that was cover art was completed and returned, we got to see there in issue #1. In fact, the plot for this story was lifted it take shape, which was all sorts of fun. straight from 1942’s Batman #14 (“The Case Batman Adjacent to the cubby-cum-office was the large Failed to Solve”). Both stories involved a group of famous bullpen space that housed the main copying machine detectives coming together and witnessing the death of and had one or two art tables. Invariably, colorist Adrienne one of their number. Each concludes with the revelation Roy would come in and color pages there until she went that the victim was actually dying and had committed home, her seat taken by Ben Oda, who rolled in around suicide with a rigged gun propped outside a window. 4:00 p.m. and never seemed to leave except to bowl The Ductile Detective—that’s Ralph Dibny, on the DC team on Monday nights. Artists the Elongated Man to most of you—received his would use the other table to make changes own spotlight story thanks to Mike W. Barr as requested by editors or touch up work and José Luis García-López. With a wink, before delivering it. I distinctly recall Barr made it an Edgar Allen Poe mystery, watching Bob Smith work on some fitting since author Poe is credited with pages for the Batman/Deadman story creating the mystery genre. contained within the anniversary issue. When Schwartz took over ’Tec This one was penciled by Carmine as editor in 1964, he jettisoned the Infantino, who introduced Batman’s “Manhunter from Mars” backup “New Look” under Schwartz’s direction feature in favor of his own creation, back in 1964 and also drew the first the Elongated Man, who had been Deadman tale in Strange Adventures. seen in sporadic backup stories in The Despite being fired from DC’s executive Flash but was a better fit here. But staff a few years before, Infantino J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter, paul levitz returned to fulltime drawing duties in was in Detective first, introduced in 1980, starting with an Adam Strange issue #225 (Nov. 1955) as a harbinger story, followed by this team-up, before he returned to of the Silver Age to come. Levitz got in on the fun with the Scarlet Speedster by becoming the artist of The Flash, issue #500, writing “The Strange Death of Dr. Erdel” a title he had drawn for most of the 1960s. Toward the (a nod to the first Manhunter from Mars story, “The end of my tenure, I then watched as Adrienne applied Strange Experiment of Dr. Erdel”), which featured her color dyes, happily explaining to me the techniques Hawkman and Hawkgirl studying the scientist’s death being employed. In an interesting twist, this was also and featuring a cameo from the green-skinned Martian. the first Bat-tale from Cary Bates, who before then was Popular Hawkman illustrator Joe Kubert was recruited best known for Superman and The Flash. for the art, and while he was not a ’Tec regular, he was By the time I left, shortly after Labor Day, the book a DC legend deserving to be a part of the celebration. was nearing completion, but it wasn’t until it went on It’s noteworthy that his son Adam lettered the story. sale that I actually saw the completed issue. It was also A Kubert School alum, Tom Yeates, had just the one of the first comics I took personal pride in, given my right pulp-inspired style to illustrate the Gibson story. microscopic contribution to its production. Like most Wein partnered with Walter Simonson on the fun readers of BACK ISSUE, I loved every page of #500, feeling two-pager “Once Upon a Time,” which used nothing this was how you celebrate a comic-book milestone. but the cliché lines Snoopy was often seen typing in After all, this was the 500th issue of Detective Comics, Charles Schulz’s Peanuts to actually tell a story. Let that and Levitz made certain it was more than just a Batman be a lesson to would-be creators. party. Len Wein and Jim Aparo combined Roy Raymond, Kicking off the book, though, is the story that is the the Human Target, Jason Bard, Mysto the Magician only one reprinted from this classic anniversary issue.
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Can You Name ’Em All? (top) The full wraparound for issue #500; each character is drawn their interior artist. (bottom) Original art (with text paste-ups) of the prose story written by Walter Gibson of The Shadow fame and gorgeously rendered by Tom Yeates. TM & © DC Comics.
In fact, it gets reprinted with regularity and deservedly so. Alan Brennert, a fan who became a professional television writer, had begun dabbling in comics shortly before this opportunity arose. “To Kill a Legend” is the 19-page tale of Batman seeing what his life would have been like had the Waynes not been gunned down. As the Phantom Stranger walks Batman through the story, the emotional stroll through the mists continues to pack a wallop. Brennert was well paired with Dick Giordano, who had inked or illustrated more than his share of Detective stories, including the classic “There Is No Hope in Crime Alley.” Brennert, who had worked on the Wonder Woman television series, was busy with a burgeoning career as a novelist when he crossed paths with Paul Levitz in Los Angeles early in 1979 and suggested the Batman plot as something one of DC’s writers might develop. Paul insisted that Alan write it himself and he did, assuming that it would simply be a fill-in used when someone blew a deadline rather than the highlight of Detective #500. Based on its reaction, Brennert was invited back to contribute stories whenever he had the chance, resulting in memorable Brave and Bold stories for that series’ subsequent editor, Dick Giordano. And these tasty morsels were wrapped under a cover that was capped with the painstaking work of production wizard Bob LeRose, who statted and fiddled with countless covers to create the flood of images bordering the back half. Interestingly, The Comic Reader, the fanzine that Levitz once edited, reported in issue #180 that co-creator Bob Kane was going to provide “a one-page history of his creation” in Detective #500. Someone obviously thought better of that, and Kane’s contribution did not appear. The critical and sales success of this anniversary issue set the benchmark for most that followed. Editors approached a milestone number with the challenge to match or beat what Levitz managed. In short order, therefore, you had stellar lineups of talent contributing to Superman #400, Justice League of America #200, and Wonder Woman #300. With the recent New 52 and Marvel Now reboots, it’ll be some time before we see how today’s editorial and creative teams choose to mark the occasion of a centenary issue. Special thanks to KC Carlson. ROBERT GREENBERGER is a longtime comics historian and former staffer at DC Comics and Marvel Comics. A fulltime freelance writer and editor, his recent works have included The Essential Superman Encyclopedia (with Martin Pasko) and The Spider-Man Vault (with Peter David). He continues to write reviews for ComicMix.com and more about Bob can be found at BobGreenberger.com.
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For collectors who like milestone issues, The Flash #300, which was released in 1981, is a double-sized dose of super-speedy goodness. Not only does it celebrate the nice, round figure of 300 issues, it’s also the 25th anniversary issue for Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash, who first appeared in 1956 in Showcase #4 in a story called “Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt.” Showcase #4, which revived the superhero genre, introduced Barry as a police scientist on his lunch break, reading an old issue of Flash Comics that starred the original Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick. After returning to his workstation after lunch, a bolt of lightning streaks through a nearby window, dousing Barry with chemicals and giving him super-speed. Inspired by the original Flash, Barry quickly designs a costume and starts fighting crime; the Turtle Man, a.k.a. the Slowest Man on Earth, is the first supervillain he battles. Thus, the Silver Age of Comics is born. The Flash #300 (Aug. 1981) retells Barry’s origin in a story entitled “1981: A Flash Odyssey.” However, rather than simply rehashing the events, it adds an overriding element of drama. Instead of granting him superpowers, the chemicals have burned Barry horribly from head to toe and trapped him in a suspended state of paralysis. Barry is confined to bed. His mind is largely unaffected, but he can’t move. His loving parents bring him reading material, including issues of Flash Comics he enjoyed as a child. Barry becomes the Flash, but only in his mind, as the psychiatrist counseling him reveals: “This ‘Flash’ character had been something of a boyhood idol of yours … you often used to run around your backyard in a crude, makeshift Flash costume … imagining and pretending what it would be like to have the same impossible speed as your hero … cary bates your subconscious blotted out your perception of reality long ago as a defense mechanism for coping with the unbearable immobility and stagnation of total paralysis … you have to face reality again, Barry Allen … the Flash must die!” As Barry lies helpless, pondering his predicament, he can only assume he’s not crazy, given the erratic and scheming nature of his foes—he knows someone must be the “mastermind behind this hoax.” After recalling how Jay’s origin is so similar to his own, Barry begins wondering which of his rogues has put him in such a bind. This ingenious plot device gives readers a look at the origins of Mirror Master, Pied Piper, Captain Boomerang, Weather Wizard, Abra Kadabra, Heat
Running the Gauntlet The Carmine Infantino/Dick Giordano cover to The Flash #300 (Aug. 1981). TM & © DC Comics.
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Brett Weiss
Wrapped Up (top) Instead of imbuing him with super-speed, in Flash #300 Barry Allen’s chemical bath nearly killed him. (bottom) Bedridden Barry receives a surprise visitor. Story by Cary Bates, art by Carmine Infantino and Bob Smith. TM & © DC Comics.
Wave, Captain Cold, and the Top, along with various other members of Flash’s colorful rogues’ gallery. The story also shows some of the highlights of Flash’s crimefighting career, such as teaming up with Wally “Kid Flash” West. The Flash #300, which was written by longtime Flash scribe Cary Bates, evokes those “best of” TV clip episodes, but is fresher and more entertaining than most of them, especially given the mystery surrounding the bedridden Flash’s predicament. I recently asked Bates if television was an inspiration for the ideas behind “1981: A Flash Odyssey.” “Not really,” Bates says. “The object of doing a jumbo-sized book for issue #300 was to give the readers an overview of Flash’s life and career, supporting cast, and rogues’ gallery. With all that as a given, it then became a matter of finding a compelling narrative that would enable me to cover all the bases without resorting to what could’ve become a dry compendium of Flash trivia.” The Flash #300 also brings to mind noted sciencefiction writer Philip K. Dick, who often questioned the nature of reality in his stories, especially the later ones. I asked Bates about this possible influence as well. “I’m ashamed to say I didn’t become aware of Philip K. Dick until Blade Runner,” Bates says, “but having read many of his works since then, he’s definitely someone to aspire to. As anyone familiar with my Earth-Prime stuff knows, I’ve always had a fascination with reality-bending ‘meta’ concepts.” Bates invented the concept of Earth-Prime, which is essentially the world we readers live in, with “The Flash—Fact or Fiction,” a book-length adventure in The Flash #179 (May 1968). This was Bates’ first script for the series, and he knocked it out of the proverbial park with his first at bat, spinning an enticing yarn in which a psychedelic creature knocks Flash into a parallel world where Barry meets Flash editor Julius Schwartz. Bates took over as fulltime writer on The Flash in 1971 with issue #209 and spent an astonishing 14 years on the series until its cancellation in 1985 with issue #350. Getting back to The Flash #300, Bates used Flash’s coincidental-in-the-extreme origin story to his advantage when formulating the anniversary issue. “When it occurred to me that the circumstances of Flash’s unique—and let’s face it, really far-fetched— Tenth Anniversary Issue
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Blue Bolt Shaded in blue pencil, an undated Flash sketch by Carmine Infantino, courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.
origin could be utilized to reimagine all those characters back at the Barry Allen as a bedridden chemicaldrawing board.” burn patient wrapped in bandages Bates has had an award-winning whose life as the Flash was just an career as a writer, including a elaborate ‘fantasy’ in his mind, I lengthy run on Action Comics, but he saw a way to weave all the necessary pinpoints “1981: A Flash Odyssey” as flashbacks into a coherent story spine.” a highlight. Len Wein was editor on The Flash at “It has always been one of my the time, and he was “very supportive” personal favorites,” Bates says. carmine infantino of Bates’ story and “totally onboard “Though it was never stated in the Photo by Luigi Novi. with the concept.” book itself, in my mind it was a Comic Book Hall of Fame artist Carmine Infantino tribute to Julie, Carmine, Gardner Fox, and John was onboard as well, which makes perfect sense Broome … my way of saying given his history with the character. Infantino was the thanks to all of them for all the artist on Showcase #4, and was the designer of Barry’s years I had enjoyed reading costume. He had a legendary run on the character Flash comics growing up as that included the landmark “Flash of Two Worlds” a fan.” from The Flash #123 (Sept. 1961), which introduced BRETT WEISS is the author of the Earth-Two. Classic Home Video Games book “By the time of Flash #300, I had already done series (McFarland Publishers) and a number of Flash stories with Carmine, who had of Filtered Future and Other recently returned to the series,” Bates says. Dark Tales of Science Fiction “Needless to say, all the flashbacks and recaps were and Horror (Amazon Kindle). For made doubly effective because we had the good more info, check out brettweissfortune to have the artist who had originally conceived words.blogspot.com.
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Andy Mangels
As comicdom’s preeminent superheroine, Wonder Woman may have been the ninth DC Comics character to celebrate their 300th issue, but she was the first one to celebrate a tricentenniel with a killer bout of narcolepsy, a new daughter, and a runaway groom. Although she had been published longer than most other long-running series—since 1942 and throughout the Golden Age, the Amazing Amazon had appeared regularly in not only Wonder Woman, but also Sensation Comics and Comics Cavalcade—due to a mostly bimonthly publishing schedule, Wonder Woman didn’t reach her 300th issue until the cover-date of February 1983. By that time, the Lynda Carter-starring TV series was long into a cycle of syndicated reruns, and even the long-running Super Friends cartoon was in its waning years. In the comics and licensed products, Wonder Woman had been rebranded only a year prior, in DC Comics Presents #41 (Jan. 1982) and Wonder Woman #288 (Feb. 1982), exchanging her golden-eagle bodice design for a more logo-friendly double-W design [see BACK ISSUE #57]. Those stories were crafted by longtime comics scribe Roy Thomas, but he exited the book with #296 (Oct. 1982), leaving it in the hands of scripters Paul Kupperburg and Dan Mishkin. Today, Roy recalls that there was nothing significant about Wonder Woman as she existed in that current DC Universe that called to him: “I liked Wonder Woman as she had been back in the latter 1940s when I was first reading the book, and felt she and I could both benefit from our getting together. I didn’t lobby to do the book, though … I was asked to do so by DC.” After Thomas left, he was asked to return to the series for the 72-page anniversary issue. The move, he says, “surprised me, since I had left the book several issues earlier because of my dissatisfaction [see Alter Ego #100]. I don’t recall being asked to work in anything particularly, just to make it special. They were rather non-directive, which was fine by me.” The story Roy crafted, with his wife Dann Thomas, was an eight-chapter mini-epic that didn’t arise out of any current storyline, but was hardly standalone given the topics it covered. In the tale, titled “Beautiful Dreamer, Death Unto Thee!,” Wonder Woman is plagued by nightmares and a recurring battle against a menacing shadowy figure. Arriving to help her battle the dream monster is the Bronze Age Jack Kirby/Joe Simon Sandman character, who had not been seen since his few 1970s appearances. In the process of helping her, Sandman reveals that he’s been viewing her sleeping from the dream world, and exhibits a not-so-coded attraction to the heroine. Back in the waking world, the Amazon’s alter ego, Diana Prince, is given a promotion to major by Gen. Darnell, but despite the excitement, either as Diana or as Wonder Woman, she cannot stay awake. During another
Capitol Improvement The Amazon Princess and friends soar over Washington, D.C., on the Ed Hannigan/ Dick Giordano cover to Wonder Woman #300 (Feb. 1983). TM & © DC Comics.
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You’ll Believe a Woman Can Fly Dick Giordano-drawn original art to page 42 of Wonder Woman #300, from Chapter 5, “The Princess and the Sky-Pirate!” Courtesy of Andy Mangels. TM & © DC Comics.
encounter with the shadow creature, she accidentally vibrates her robot plane across dimensions to Earth-Two, where she is reunited with her World War II counterpart. She is shocked to learn that the Earth-Two Wonder Woman not only publicly revealed her identity and married Steve Trevor-Two decades prior, but that the pair has a daughter, a super-strong teenager named Lyta Trevor! Returning to Earth-One, Diana helps Steve Trevor fight terrorists, then proposes marriage to him, fakes the death of Diana Prince, attends her own funeral, learns the revised origin of Sandman (and that he loves her!), and falls asleep about 90 times more. During some of her dreams, she learns what would happen if another amazon had become Wonder Woman, what would have happened if Steve Trevor had been a different man, and what a marriage to Superman might bring to the world. Later, finally awake for a brief time, she tries to marry Steve Trevor off-shore from Paradise Island, but with the Justice League in attendance to witness, Steve refuses to wed her, saying that he has unresolved feelings for the now-“dead”
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Diana Prince! The sprawling story wraps up with more Sandman, a showdown with the shadow creature, and the revelation that Diana Prince didn’t actually die, freeing Steve to be trapped in a love triangle between Wonder Woman and her alter ego yet again. Besides its anniversary nature, the issue featured a few other landmark aspects. The chapters were each drawn by different artists—many of them veterans of the character—including Gene Colan, Ross Andru, Dick Giordano, Keith Pollard, Keith Giffen, and Rich Buckler; more importantly, it also featured the first female artist to have ever drawn Wonder Woman to that date: Jan Duursema! Beyond that, the fact that Dann Thomas was credited as co-writer made her the first woman to have ever been acknowledged for scripting the heroine’s tales for comics (21 Golden Age stories were reportedly written by William Moulton Marston’s assistant, Joyce Murchison, under the “Charles Moulton” pen-name). “Frankly, I never felt it was important to me to receive credit on this issue or on any other on which I collaborated with Roy,” says Dann today. “I just enjoyed the process and usually the outcome, and seeing my name in print was never as thrilling as seeing my ideas so beautifully drawn by such masterful storytellers as Gene Colan and others. I never had any desire to write comics without Roy’s input. The only solo work I did was with George Pérez on Raven for the short-lived Deluxe Comics [T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents revamp], and that was because Roy couldn’t participate due to his exclusive contract to DC Comics at the time. “Also, I had not read a lot of comics before I met Roy, though I have always been an avid comic-strip reader,” continues Dann. “To prepare for the Wonder Woman series, I read the first few years of the 1940s comic book, and found many of the elements disturbingly perverse. Paradise Island was one strange sorority! And although the Amazons advocated peace, their society seemed very militaristic and Spartan. Those games could have been filmed by Leni Riefenstahl. I realize that many female readers find it difficult to identify with male superheroes. For whatever reason, I could just as easily imagine myself as Superman as Lois Lane.” The reappearance of the Sandman character was a surprise for readers, even if the Thomases retconned the origin. “I liked the basic concept of the 1970s Sandman, as well as his costume, and thought perhaps there was a way to bring him back and his serious not quite so loopy as it had been,” says Roy. He also notes that the movie Fantastic Voyage had some influence on the flashback portions of the hero’s origin. Sandman reappeared shortly thereafter in Justice League of America Annual #1 (Aug. 1983) in a story by Paul Levitz. “I suspect Paul picked up Sandman from Wonder Woman #300 because once [Sandman] was back, why not?” One odd element to the story was that Sandman came off to some readers (and Internet reviewers) as both sexist and a bit of a creepy-stalker; at minimum, he was voyeuristic (with surprising dialogue references to sexual dreams and sexuality). Roy refutes the idea that he was sexist, saying, “That Sandman was ‘sexist’ is your judgment, not mine, [and] probably not Dann’s. But, hey, how could a guy who monitors people’s dreams not be voyeuristic? That was his job! Joe Simon with Jack Kirby established all that, not me/us.” Many of the chapters found “men behaving badly,” from Sandman to Steve Trevor leaving Wonder Woman at the altar to alternate Trevor Stevens and alternate Superman. Roy doesn’t consider the men to be misogynistic, and jokes that “some folks are just
Backstage with Ed, Roy, and Dann (left) Courtesy of the artist, Ed Hannigan’s pencil layouts for the anniversary issue’s wraparound cover. (below) The Thomases, the writing duo behind Wonder Woman #300. TM & © DC Comics.
too damn PC for their own (or anybody else’s) good.” Dann says, “Reviewing the story again, I notice that everyone seems to be behaving badly.” Perhaps the biggest change to Wonder Woman’s continuity was the revelation of the family and public persona that the Earth-Two heroine had built, even as she had aged (away from Paradise Island, she lost her immortality). It would be later in the same year that Roy would begin planting more seeds for the heirs of the contemporary Justice Society of America on Earth-Two (originally called “The Centurions,” the legacy concept eventually became Infinity, Inc.) Roy says, “The JSAers were older in the JLA/JSA team-ups, and seemed to be aging if not normally, then something like it, and that appealed to me. After all, I’m the guy who wrote SubMariner #9 back in 1968, bringing back an aging Betty Dean as a contrast to Namor. I probably vaguely had in mind the scene at the end of ‘Woman Wonder!’ in the early Kurtzman MAD [#10, Apr. 1954] in which Diana and Steve are married with children at the end, but I wanted to do it more realistically. Maybe some of it was even Dann’s idea. I forget, since we talked everything over at the time, it being such a long story. I was very happy with the idea of a daughter named Hippolyta, or Lyta for short, though I don’t know (I rather doubt) if we had in mind the Infinity, Inc. concept which followed soon afterward, since the latter emerged rather suddenly one day when Dann and I were in New York City to pitch DC a quite different series concept.” Lyta would indeed become one of the later core Infinity, Inc. members as “Fury,” a role she played for many years to come. Although the Thomases would write the Earth-Two Wonder Woman in the pages of Infinity, Inc., this issue was their final storyline for the Amazon’s main title. Roy says, “I’d have loved to stay on Wonder Woman for years, but had gotten disgusted at being bounced around with a Huntress backup and then that every-
DC-heroine series [issue #291–293’s “Countdown to Chaos” story, May–July 1982], and by the time of #300, I think even Gene [Colan] had left, and without him I certainly had no interest in going back to it… I sincerely believe the handful of issues Dann and I did of Wonder Woman (she helped from the outset) were heads and shoulders above most of what had been done in recent years, and I think we could have done more with it if DC had been as supportive as they acted like they were going to be. Gene, as you’ll recall perhaps, had a similar complaint.” Looking back at the issue, which also featured Wonder Woman pinups by Michael W. Kaluta and George Pérez—presaging the latter’s revamp of the series a few years later—Roy notes that “I think it was a pretty good issue, and I’m proud of it … and proud of Dann for her part in it.” All interviews were conducted in May 2012. Photograph is courtesy Roy and Dann Thomas. Artwork is courtesy the collection of Andy Mangels, with the exception of the original pencil art, provided by Ed Hannigan. ANDY MANGELS is the USA Today bestselling author and co-author of twenty books, including the recent TwoMorrows book Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, as well as Iron Man: Beneath the Armor, and a lot of comic books. Additionally, he has scripted, directed, and produced Special Features for over 40 DVD releases. His moustache is infamous. www.AndyMangels.com and www.WonderWomanMuseum.com
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What do you get when you combine the two bestselling characters in the DC Universe? The answer is World’s Finest Comics. The series began as World’s Best Comics #1 (Spring 1941), with Superman and Batman (with Robin) presented in their own solo stories; this format didn’t change until issue #71 in 1954, when the heroes’ features were combined into one. Superman and Batman had encountered each other before, most notably in Superman #76 (May 1952), and they were shown together from time to time in the Justice Society stories featured in All Star Comics. In early 1970s, Batman stepped aside from most issues of World’s Finest Comics as the title became a team-up magazine featuring Superman and other DC characters in a format similar to The Brave and the Bold, which featured Batman team-ups. This change did not last long, and soon the Superman/Batman team-ups returned until the end of the World’s Finest series. [Editor’s note: Superman would get his own team-up book with DC Comics Presents #1, July–Aug. 1978. For the full story behind Superman’s team-ups, see BACK ISSUE #66.] In 1983, World’s Finest Comics celebrated its 300th issue with a multi-chapter, multi-guest-star story spanning time and space. The storyline began in World’s Finest Comics #296 (Oct. 1983) and, in a small way, Batman and the Outsiders #1 (Aug. 1983). BATO #1 featured events that fractured the Batman/Superman friendship when Batman left the Justice League to form the Outsiders due to Superman’s decision not to become involved with a foreign war in Markovia, home of Outsiders member Geo-Force. The first few issues of the BATO series focused on the problem, but left Superman and Batman at odds for the first time in their long history. Writer David Anthony Kraft, famous for his magazine Comics Interview as well as many scripts for both DC and Marvel Comics, originated the WFC anniversary edition’s story of an overpopulated world making an aggressive move to take over Earth through the transformation of five humans into the Pantheon. Also involved was Mike W. Barr, writer and co-creator of Batman and the Outsiders. Writer Marv Wolfman joined the festivities with a sequence involving his fan-favorite title, The New Teen Titans. In the pages that follow, Kraft is interviewed about World’s Finest’s tricentennial issue, and Barr kindly shares his recollections as well. – Randall C. Wiggins RANDALL WIGGINS: The storyline that leads from World’s Finest #296 to 300 (Feb. 1984) is very unusual, but entertaining. How did you develop that story? DAVID ANTHONY KRAFT: A friend of mine was the editor, Roger Slifer. We started at Marvel on the same day and had worked together and so on. When he went to DC to edit World’s Finest, he needed a fill-in issue because somebody was late or something. He offered me the opportunity to script Superman and Batman—how could I resist? And, very deceptively,
Your Two Favorite Heroes—Together! …Actually, apart, due to a difference of opinion. The Ed Hannigan/Dick Giordano cover to World’s Finest Comics #300 (Feb. 1984). TM & © DC Comics.
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that first issue was easy for me. That’s not true with all comic-book stories! But I had a pretty good time writing it and it went pretty easily and he was happy with it, so then he wanted me to be the regular writer. He asked me to introduce some new villains that were unique to World’s Finest rather than old Superman and Batman villains. There was another guy I knew who was working in the production department at Marvel for Sol Brodsky. That was Ron Fontes. You’ll see his name on some of those [Pantheon creator credits]. He gets a special credit because he designed and conceptualized the Pantheon. He wanted to write and draw his own comics, but even though he was at Marvel, sometimes people just get pigeonholed. And since I knew that Roger wanted characters, I said to Ron, “Here’s your chance.” We managed to get him a creator’s fee for those characters, actually! And that was before the companies … they were in the early stages of revamping how they were treating people. So I said, “This guy needs to get paid” and I gave him a credit on it. He helped me to plot or sometimes to dialogue scenes and things with those characters, and it was a way to bring something new to the book that wasn’t there before. WIGGINS: How did it come about that the Outsiders and New Teen Titans appear in the story? KRAFT: Issue #300 would be the culmination of this storyline—we thought, “How can we make this special?” At that time The New Teen Titans was probably DC’s most popular book, and instead of us trying to do our version of it or whatever, I said, “Why don’t we get the guys who are actually doing these things? And let’s include the Outsiders, since that works with Batman.” WIGGINS: That was one of the questions I was wondering about: How the Teen Titans showed up… KRAFT: Well, that was part of the “make it special” thing. We pitched Marv Wolfman and Mike Barr: “It’s issue #300. How would you like to be in on that?” and they immediately agreed. Included in Comics Interview #8 is the actual plotting session that Roger and I had with Mike Barr. I took a tape recorder along to that lunch. WIGGINS: Mike Barr did a really good job with #300. KRAFT: It’s been quite a while since I’ve re-read it. I don’t know how they hold up. WIGGINS: Pretty well. I re-read them three or four times to get everything in my head. The first time I read #300, I had forgotten that the storyline started a few issues before. I finally went back digging in my boxes and found my World’s Finest back issues. KRAFT: There’s also a five-page epilogue I did, which appears in issue #302, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli. It’s Superman and Batman hanging out. I can show you just how fast everything changed, just how different times were. It was just supposed to be a fun little five-page thing. You know, like after the battle, here’s Superman and Batman kicking back, and they go into a bar and Batman is ordering, like, Jack Daniels and Superman orders milk. Do you know they wouldn’t allow me to have Batman order whiskey in a bar! WIGGINS: [laughs] And look what they do now in ’em! Look what they do in comics now. KRAFT: Yeah. I’m glad it opened up, but it was definitely a whole different time, the hierarchy took a different viewpoint on things. They were very protective about their characters then. I thought it symbolized both characters, it was kinda cute. But they said, “Oh, no! We can’t have Batman drinkin’ whiskey!”
Beginnings: “Kerene” in Psycho #7 (July 1972)
Milestones: Founder of Fictioneer Books Ltd. / The Defenders / The Beatles Story in Marvel Super Special #4 / Savage She-Hulk / Captain America / FOOM (editor) / G.I. Joe Extreme (animation story editor) / David Anthony Kraft’s Comics Interview
Recent Works: Comics Interview: The Complete Collection vol. 2
Website: www.comicsinterview.com Find Comics Interview on Facebook
david anthony kraft
Your Two Favorite Teams— Together! The Man of Steel assembles the JLA in the team’s satellite on page 1 of WFC #300. Special thanks to Andy Mangels for the interior pages scans accompanying this article. TM & © DC Comics.
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Teamed Titans Original art to page 45 of the anniversary issue. Pencils by Ross Andru and inks by Klaus Janson. Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.
One thing that I didn’t see, getting into comics, is how much they’re like news reporting. It’s all deadlines, all the time. When you’re reading a comic, you’re seeing the end results and enjoying it, but when you’re producing it, the artist or anybody in the process could be late and— WIGGINS: And it throws everybody off. KRAFT: —it would put a lot more pressure on the rest of the people down the line. And since at Marvel you were writing it after it was drawn and it needed to get to the inker, there was a lot of pressure, so sometimes those stores had to be written in extraordinarily short periods of time over the weekend! WIGGINS: I always wondered how that process worked. Reading over the old Hulk and Avengers comics from the ’70s—like you said, the words and the pictures fit so well in some books. KRAFT: Now, I’m talking about the Marvel method. My first time at DC in ’75, those were full scripts. That’s what they insisted on.
WIGGINS: That’s always what DC did, isn’t it? KRAFT: If you think about it, that’s the same way you would write a stage play or a TV show or anything else, but what would happen is there’s a disconnect. Sometimes artists either didn’t know how to draw something, weren’t interested in drawing it, who knows? So here’s the script, asking for something to be in the art—but [once it’s drawn,] it isn’t in the art!—so the story suffers. It just didn’t make for the best comics, I thought. It’s a lot more fun when you say to an artist, “Here’s my idea,” and the artist goes, “Yeah, but what if you did that?” Then you take it and say in the writing, “What if you did this?” To me, that just makes a better comic. So World’s Finest was that way. I scripted it Marvel-style. And I believe Marv [Wolfman] and George [Pérez] did Teen Titans Marvel-style. And various other people. WIGGINS: I asked Marv about World’s Finest #300, and he didn’t even remember doing it. KRAFT: [laughs] Yeah. That would have been one little chapter in the middle of this frantic production of a life that he’s had. WIGGINS: One question I want to ask—and you may not even remember—in #300, the character of Zeta kind of bounced around a lot. “Am I a good guy, am I a bad guy?” Was that intentional, or was it just nobody had ever really decided if he was a good guy or a bad guy? KRAFT: If Roger had remained as editor and I had remained as writer, that wouldn’t have been the last time you saw him. But as these things happen, you know, it’s musical chairs and you never get to realize some of your ideas. I have folders somewhere in file-cabinet drawers of plans for various series I scripted. For one reason or another, I didn’t stay on World’s Finest. They changed editors and sometimes new editors like to have their people. WIGGINS: What was your last World’s Finest issue, do you remember? KRAFT: It was something like #306 scripting … plot for #307. There were some fill-in issues before that. They had some stuff that they had done before my time that they wanted to put in there, much to my chagrin. Then I created another couple of characters for them and then there was a whole cock-up. This kind of stuff happens, too. I created Null and Void for World’s Finest before #300 and after, characters called Swordfish and Barracuda. Like I said, we were creating new villains. It was a fourpart story and on the fourth part they had somebody else do the dialogue. Pat Bastienne in Dick Giordano’s office called me up and she was, like, “We had to have this dialogued over the weekend because you missed the deadline on the script.” I said, “If you had called me before now, I would have pointed out that actually the script’s been done for quite a while and maybe you should look around.” Then she came back to me and said, “Damn. Nobody knew it. It’s in the drawer over here.” This was the following Monday or Tuesday and I said, “Well, you’ll use mine, right?” She said, “No! This thing was so late we got it lettered with the fill-in script!” You know how irritating that is? WIGGINS: No, but I can guess.
RECONCILIATION During this time period, Batman and Superman had what could be called a serious difference of opinion, beginning in Batman and the Outsiders #1. Batman quit the Justice League to form this new team, but left the Outsiders to rejoin the Justice League after two years’ worth of BATO issues.
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MIKE W. BARR REMEMBERS WORLD’S FINEST #300 I was flattered to be asked by editor Roger Slifer to contribute to World’s Finest Comics #300, the culmination of a long storyline by David Anthony Kraft. Though Batman and the Outsiders was DC’s third bestselling title in those days, WFC was one of the seminal titles of DC, and I was proud to have the “new kids” participate in such a momentous anniversary, with the approval of Len Wein, BATO’s editor. I recall sitting down with David and Roger during one of Dave’s trips to New York City. They brought me up to speed on the story and where Dave wanted the plot to go. I tossed in some suggestions on how the Outsiders could fit into the overall story, eventually focusing on the character of Halo, whose powers seemed a good fit with Dave’s proposed climax. The plotting session was a lot of work, but it was fun. The element of time travel was thoroughly exploited, sending the Outsiders back to World War II, where they met Sgt. Rock, and Batman back to Superboy-era
Smallville. Sgt. Rock creator Robert Kanigher later gave me some flak about placing Rock in the same tale with superheroes; I can’t say I blame him. But I tried to treat his character with respect. To the best of my recollection, I wrote chapters one, four, and six, with Dave keeping an eye on me to make sure I was pushing the plot in the proper direction. Chapter one was the first of my too-few collaborations with penciler Ross Andru, who kept the Outsiders on-model, yet gave them his own unique styling. Come to think, every artist in that issue covered himself with glory (not to mention graphite and/or ink). I’m not sure whose idea it was to have Superman and Batman patch up the cracks in their relationship that had been caused by the events of BATO #1, just six months earlier, but I was all for it. It was never intended that the World’s Finest Team be at odds with each other for long, and WFC #300 seemed the perfect place for them to make nice.
WFFF That’s World’s Finest Friends Forever, as Superman and Batman patch things up at the end of issue #300, with the approval of their JLA and Outsiders partners. TM & © DC Comics.
WIGGINS: Whose idea was it to end the feud between Batman and Superman in the anniversary issue? KRAFT: Feuds can’t go on forever! And really, Superman and Batman were buds from way back, especially in the pages of World’s Finest, so it seemed the perfect time.
ENDINGS Less than two years later, World’s Finest Comics would end at issue #323, and Crisis on Infinite Earths would alter much of 50 years of DC Comics continuity. The team of Superman and Batman would appear again in a World’s Finest miniseries in the 1990s, and in the early 2000s, a new series titled Superman/Batman became popular, only to end again when DC rebooted its entire line in 2011. The current version of Worlds’ Finest [note spelling—ed.] is set on the New 52 Earth and features Power Girl and the Huntress, originally the Supergirl and Robin of Earth-2 and transplanted onto DC’s main Earth in this new series. The New 52 launched the series Batman/Superman, written by Greg Pak and illustrated by Jae Lee, in June 2013. The author would like to thank both David Anthony Kraft and Mike W. Barr for their time and assistance with this article. I would also like to thank Michael Savene for his proofreading and advice. RANDALL C. WIGGINS lives in Georgia, where he endlessly works to fill the holes in his Golden, Silver, and Bronze Age DC Comics collection. He writes whatever comes to mind.
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Strange Visitor Howard Chaykin’s stunning cover painting to Superman #400 (Oct. 1984). TM & © DC Comics.
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Frankie Addiego
By 1984, Superman’s fame was incalculable. Not only was he the longest-running and most influential figure in the history of comic books, but he’d changed the face of animation, television, and film. But if Superman were real, how would people look back on him in the generations to come? Writer Elliot S! Maggin decided to explore that question with the 400th issue of Superman. “This had been something that has been dancing around in my head since I was in high school,” says Maggin, “and I started to notice patterns in the way history works. Historical perspectives change, I realized. For most of the 19th Century, Benjamin Franklin, for example, was regarded as a minor figure in the founding of the United States. By the 20th Century, as industrialization and technology became more obvious and significant influences in our lives, we came to revere him as a groundbreaking scientist and philosopher and the person who essentially invented the United States.” Superman #400 (Oct. 1984) featured very little of the hero’s rogues’ gallery or supporting cast. While many of the familiar faces we associate with Superman made cameos, the focus of the comic was on how the people of the future viewed the Man of Steel. After a brief, present-day introduction, the first story in the collection is a tale of a man in the distant future named “Old Homer,” who’s spinning yarns for a group of kids. Illustrated by Al Williamson, Old Homer tells his young audience that he was a pilot on the spacecraft carrier Bruce Wayne. According to talent coordinator Sal Amendola, Al Williamson was reluctant to pencil a Superman story: “He hated the prospect of having to draw the ‘S’ on his chest.” As the kids find holes in Homer’s tale, we begin to suspect that it was a fabrication. Surprisingly, the next story—drawn by Frank Miller— was a trip to the past with a tribute to the classic Adventures of Superman series. A group of researchers on Earth-Prime, DC’s equivalent of “the real world” (where all superheroes are fictional characters), uncover an episode of the series, which starred George Reeves and Jack Larson. Maggin was a huge fan of the series and based the curator in the story on his friend Noah Mandell, who—according to Maggin—“is a real guy who looked a lot like the way Frank drew him.” Two of the stories in Superman #400 deal with the idea of ordinary people becoming Superman. In “Last Son of Krypton,” two kids (with hair patterned after the manga icon Astro Boy) enter a virtual-reality simulator, enabling one of them to rescue the other as Superman. In this story, the character is reimagined as a powerless hero who instead has a utility belt filled with gadgets along the lines of Batman. Further related to this concept was a story with art by Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin—noted for their work on Detective Comics in the mid-’70s—which examined a group of would-be world conquerors. A homeless man finds one of Superman’s old indestructible costumes, and is able to ward off the invaders until they take aim at his head. His final word to fellow Earthlings before his demise is “resist.” Other artists contributed art to the book. ElfQuest co-creator Wendy Pini illustrated a brief vignette of a pair of college professors arguing over what appearance Superman took. A male professor envisions an idealized Superwoman, who was “generous … nurturing … a woman who symbolized the values of equality we all live by!,” while a female professor sees Superman as a “masculine product of the popular imagination,” and that he was, in actuality, a character created for a game along the lines of Donkey Kong.
Does This Make Him Kal-Elf? (top) Original art to the Superman #400 sequence illustrated by Wendy Pini, courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). (Fans of Wendy’s and husband Richard’s ElfQuest—that’s on tap for the BI treatment next summer, in issue #75.) (bottom) Superman #400 promo in DC Releases Oct. 1984. TM & © DC Comics.
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I Fought the Wall … and the Wall Lost (bottom) The utterly amazing Superman #400 pinup by Bernie Wrightson. (top) The opening two-page spread from Steranko’s Superman #400 contribution. TM & © DC Comics.
Wrapping up Maggin’s writing contributions, Klaus Janson—later a prolific teacher in comic-book art— rendered a sequence wherein Superman finds himself in the far future, befriending a family at a time when “the memory of Superman has passed from reverence to ritual,” according to the caption. In it, the family’s older son is the only one to recognize Superman, and romances about Superman’s origin, which he calls “a story of the days when America was young.” In the final section of the book, Jim Steranko offered a sweeping ten-page epic depicting the progeny of the Man of Tomorrow bringing about a futuristic utopia and even later generations seeing it destroyed. “I was originally asked to illustrate an Elliot Maggin story,” Steranko said in a letter to Tony Robertson, later the webmaster of The Drawings of Jim Steranko, “but countered with an offer to write and illustrate the last Superman story that could ever appear.” According to Amendola, Maggin was enthusiastic about the famous artist writing his own story, but Schwartz still insisted that Steranko consult with Maggin about keeping the stories consistent. “The Superman story was an extension of the Outland presentation,” said Steranko, referring to an adaption of the 1981 Peter Hyams film Outland. “I made three requests before accepting the job,” Steranko said in an issue of Heavy Metal in which his work appeared. “First, that I was allowed to create an art style that suited the material. Second, that a new format be developed for the narrative. Third, that I see the film and to be certain the project had the kind of quality and challenge it required.” As in Outland, Steranko’s story in Superman #400 eschewed the traditional multi-panel pages with dialogue balloons for a series of spreads telling the story with vignettes, freeform captions, and varieties of scale. Each page had a figure or group of figures in the foreground with the story unraveling behind them. Demonstrating the influence of Superman over the pop-culture landscape, Superman #400 was also home to a number of pinups by artists from both comic books and newspaper strips. Leonard Starr, a longtime veteran of both DC Comics and humor strips, says, “the DC editor at the time asked me to celebrate Superman’s 400th, I guess because I’d done a lot of work for them in the late ’40s and ’50s.” Regarding his own piece, Thor artist Walt Simonson says, “essentially, this was a drawing/pinup to celebrate Superman and his comics in a special issue, so I decided to try to include all the major characters from the Superman stories I could squeeze into the drawing.” Other comic-book artists who contributed pinups to the issue included Brian Bolland, Jack Kirby, and Moebius—some of which would be reprinted in the one-shot The Superman Gallery (Jan. 1993)—as well as John Byrne, who, two years later, would revitalize the character for a new generation. FRANKIE ADDIEGO is a staff writer for the Ohlone College Monitor.
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Daniel DeAngelo
Nineteen-eighty-five was a year of big changes for DC Comics as the company celebrated its 50th anniversary with the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover series. Events in Crisis would have a huge impact on Green Lantern as the series approached its 200th issue (May 1986), but the book had already been undergoing major changes—even before the creative team of writer Steve Englehart and artist Joe Staton took over with #188 (May 1985). In #181 (Oct. 1984), writer Len Wein and artist Dave Gibbons had perennial GL Hal Jordan quit the Green Lantern Corps and replaced him with former backup GL John Stewart in the next issue. Of course, it was expected that Hal would eventually become Green Lantern again, but when Englehart took over as writer, he had his own ideas on how to resolve the story—ideas that would alter the book’s status quo from #200 on. “I started thinking, ‘Just because Hal comes back, why does John have to go away?’” Englehart reveals. “I thought, ‘Why don’t I have two of them?’ After that, I thought, ‘Why don’t I have three of them and bring Guy Gardner back?’ Then, I thought, ‘Well, why not all of them? … Why not just build this thing up to a point that when Hal comes back, it’s as part of the Green Lantern Corps?’”
THE NEW GUY IN TOWN “Guy Gardner had appeared maybe two or three times before,” Englehart recalls. “The last time we saw him, he had brain damage and was a vegetable.” During Crisis, the Guardians of the Universe become divided for the first time in history over whether or not they should get involved in the conflict. One of the Guardians who believes in taking action revives Gardner and grants him a power ring, but the character changed a lot from the version that longtime readers were used to. “I thought, if this guy is coming out of a coma, he might still have some brain damage,” Englehart explains. “That led me to the idea [of him being] as volatile as he was.” Staton, who designed the new Guy Gardner, adds, “I think Guy’s haircut was the key to his character. steve englehart While he was in a coma in the subacute care facility, he was given the most efficient ’do possible, which turned to be this bowl-cut/buzz-cut thing. The over-the-top elements of his costume flowed from the haircut.” Englehart notes that he and Staton “came up with the new version of that character, which turned out to be a mistake, because DC won’t give [us] any credit for creating that version because it was a pre-existing character.’” Guy recruits a team of villains to help destroy the moon of Qward in the Antimatter Universe, which is believed to be the source of power for the evil Anti-Monitor. When the other Guardians explain that destroying the moon
Ringing in an Anniversary Cover to Green Lantern #200 (May 1986), illustrated by Walter Simonson and colored by Anthony Tollin. TM & © DC Comics.
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Come on Oa for a GL Party Original art to the splash page of Green Lantern #200, signed by penciler Joe Staton and inked by Bruce Patterson. Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.
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Rotten to the Corps Our favorite guy, Guy Gardner, with bowl-cut and bravado, in an undated sketch by Joe Staton. Courtesy of Heritage. TM & © DC Comics.
would actually increase the Anti-Monitor’s power, John and the rest of the GL Corps go to stop Guy. Everything seemingly comes to a head in the double-sized #198 (Mar. 1986). Guy’s group is thwarted, but only at the cost of many lives—including longtime GL Tomar Re, who gives his ring to John and passes John’s ring back to Hal. With the Crisis over and Hal back, what was left for #200? Quite a bit, actually.
FIVE BILLION YEARS IN THE MAKING “I knew I wanted a big story for #200 to shake things up,” Englehart recalls. Hal’s girlfriend, Carol Ferris, had once again become the evil Star Sapphire, queen of an alien race of warrior women called the Zamarons. “My idea was, ‘Why is there this whole group of women and this other group of men, both of whom are sort of cosmic and immortal?’” Englehart says. “There are usually two sexes, so I came up with the idea that the Guardians and the Zamarons were both opposite sexes of the same race.” To celebrate the occasion, DC chose to have a special cover by Walt Simonson, although the artwork used had not actually been drawn for the comic. “[It] was drawn originally as part of a suite of three drawings I was asked to do by DC to illustrate a GL movie treatment,” Simonson explains. “I don’t know what happened to the movie treatment, but the art eventually found its way onto the cover of Green Lantern #200.” In the double-sized story titled “Five Billion Years,” the remaining Guardians realize their mistake in allowing themselves to be divided during the Crisis and decide to depart with the Zamarons to repopulate their race. Meanwhile, with the Zamarons having abandoned her, Star Sapphire joins forces with Guy and Hector Hammond as the “Triumvirate of Terror” in an attempt to gain revenge on Hal, who defeats the trio lead feature of Action Comics Weekly,’” which was a and brings them to Oa for punishment. Sinestro also short-lived experiment by DC to put out a weekly attempts to replace one of the Guardians so he can comic book with continuing eight-page strips, leave Oa with them and the Zamarons, but he is lasting from #601 (May 1988) to 642 (Mar. 1989). discovered and returned to his prison cell. Appa Ali “With the scope that we had going in the book, I just joe staton Apsa, a former Guardian who was stripped of his couldn’t get used to the idea of doing it in eight-page immortality, is left behind to serve as a mentor to segments,” Englehart says. “So it was a victim of Guy—who they still feel has the potential to be its own success.” Staton concurs, “Steve and I had been dealing with a great Green Lantern—and to offer advice to the Corps in their a huge cast and galaxy-wide action. It was a really stupid idea to absence. The Guardians also give the Corps permission to re-organize try to fit GL Corps into this format.” Englehart laments, “It was my themselves however they see fit, making a point to assign both Hal favorite book that I was writing at the time, and I was having a lot of and John to protect Earth, where they believe the next race of immortals fun on it. Katma Tui was my favorite of all the GLs … so, of course, will evolve in another five billion years (hence the title). Englehart and they killed her off as soon as I left.” Staton adds, “I still take some Staton would later revisit this idea in the Millennium crossover and its pleasure in noting that Action Comics Weekly was a disaster for DC spin-off series, The New Guardians. and went down in flames after costing the company a lot of money.”
THE LEGEND REBORN Since Earth had been singled out as the location for the next great phase of evolution, it now made sense to have several GLs form a team to protect it, which is why the book was retitled Green Lantern Corps in #201. Pre-existing GLs Katma Tui, Arisia, Salakk, and Ch’p joined Hal and John, along with a newcomer called Kilowog, who went on to become a fan favorite. “The group needed a big guy,” Englehart says. “Joe designed him, but I had clearly in mind that he would be a big, alien guy. What I liked about him was that he wasn’t just a drill sergeant; he was an economist and an educated guy—which he didn’t look like he was. Unfortunately, they’ve turned him into a drill sergeant now.” Green Lantern Corps only ran for two years until #224 (May 1988), by which time both Englehart (#223) and Staton (#222) had already left the book. Ironically, the series was not canceled due to lack of sales—in fact, just the opposite! “After we took over, we had doubled the sales on the book, so it was a huge hit,” Englehart explains. “Then DC called me and said, ‘This is so popular, we’re going to make it the
Regardless, Englehart and Staton look back at their run on Green Lantern with mostly fond memories—particularly at #200, which was a landmark in the history of the book and the character(s) at the time. “I really liked the vast scope of the GL mythos—all the different Lanterns. That was what I most liked about the book,” Englehart recalls. “Joe and I got along great,” Englehart notes. “He’s one of those guys who I always say is a ‘perfect’ comic-book artist. You can give him anything to draw, and he can do it.” Staton adds, “I really enjoyed with working with Steve and getting to expand the idea of the Green Lantern Corps. What we did in our run still serves as a strong foundation for the Corps.” DANIEL DeANGELO is a freelance writer/artist in Florida. He would like to thank Michael Eury, Steve Englehart, Joe Staton, Walt Simonson, and David T. Allen for their assistance with this article.
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Although the company began as Timely Comics in 1939, Marvel Comics as we know it did not exist until the release of Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961). Alongside veteran artist Jack Kirby, writer/editor Stan Lee created the Fantastic Four partially as a result of his frustration with having to write the types of juvenile stories that were common in comic books at the time. Buoyed by the success of Fantastic Four, Lee, Kirby, and a host of illustrators that included Steve Ditko, Don Heck, and Werner Roth began to lay the foundation for what would become the Marvel Universe, creating exciting new heroes like Spider-Man, the Hulk, Iron Man, and the X-Men. Stan Lee treated the medium seriously by not talking down to his readers, imbuing his characters with distinct personalities, and presenting them with real-world problems. Lee felt that “[t]here’s nothing wrong with comics as a means of storytelling. The best example I can give you is, what if Shakespeare and Michelangelo were alive today, and they said, ‘Let’s collaborate on a comic,’ and Shakespeare wrote the copy and Michelangelo drew the pictures. Who in the world wouldn’t buy a book like that and treasure it?” Marvel Comics soon had legions of devoted fans and throughout the 1960s and 1970s attracted new creators like Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway, whose stories continued the expansion of the Marvel Universe. The company obtained licensing rights to properties from other media, including Robert E. Howard’s Conan and the successful Star Wars film franchise. Marvel continued its rise to the top under the stewardship of editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, and by 1986, Marvel was the industry leader, representing more than half of the comic-book market, generating $100 million in annual sales and producing between seven and eight million issues each month. The publisher’s 25th anniversary attracted a lot of attention. Marvel Comics received some rare for the time exposure in the mainstream media: Entertainment trade magazine Variety, from which the above quote was taken, devoted several articles to Marvel Comics in its September 17, 1986 issue, covering the past and (then) present of Marvel. The anniversary was also featured in a segment on 20/20, ABC’s popular television newsmagazine, which featured the history of Marvel Comics, interviews with Stan Lee and Jim Shooter, and is the source from which the above sales figures were taken. Tom DeFalco, former Marvel editor-in-chief, says that despite all of the attention that Marvel’s 25th anniversary received, it was business as usual so far as the creators were concerned. “The person most
Frame Job Cover to Amazing Spider-Man #282 (Nov. 1986), penciled by Rick Leonardi and inked by Bob Layton. This star-studded cover frame was used on Marvel’s entire line of comics during this anniversary month. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
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by
Darrell Hempel
interested in doing anything [for the anniversary] was Jim Shooter,” DeFalco says. “Nowadays, everything is an anniversary; back then, not so much. Shooter used Marvel’s 25th anniversary as a launching pad for something new; that became the New Universe.” The New Universe, Marvel’s ambitious, yet ultimately unsuccessful attempt to further Lee’s concept of comic-book stories in a real-world setting, was heavily promoted throughout the year in house ads and Jim Shooter’s “Bullpen Bulletins” column. Despite the fact that Marvel’s main focus that year was the establishment of the New Universe titles, the company made sure to promote its 25th anniversary throughout the line. Marvel titles published in 1986 (cover-dated Apr. 1986–Mar. 1987) carried a special “Marvel 25th Anniversary” corner box logo. Several Marvel titles, including those in its Star Comics line, sported the same John Romita/Al Williamson-drawn frame cover, which featured many of the company’s heroes surrounding a portrait of the title’s star or a member of that title’s team (see sidebar). “The covers were the closest thing to the big, event-type story,” Tom DeFalco says. Naturally, what was going on behind those special covers was pure Marvel magic. What follows is a brief synopsis of every Marvel and Star Comics title cover-dated Nov. 1986 that carried the special anniversary cover. As a personal aside, this then-13-yearold Marvelite enjoyed trying to track down every issue just to see the cover portrait. It was equally fun to revisit these stories while writing this article. I have tried to keep the synopses as spoiler-free as possible for those readers who have yet to complete their Marvel 25th anniversary collection.
NOVEMBER 1986: MARVEL COMICS A–X Alpha Flight #40, by Bill Mantlo and David Ross, wrapped up the crossover with Avengers that began the previous month and features the wedding of Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner and Alpha Flight member Marrina, who establish the new undersea kingdom of Deluvia. Tom DeFalco and Rick Leonardi’s Amazing Spider-Man #282 features a classic Marvel hero vs. hero slugfest when an injured Spider-Man faces the mutant-hunting X-Factor (actually the original five X-Men in disguise), who had been hired by J. Jonah Jameson to capture the WallCrawler. The issue also furthers the mystery of the Hobgoblin, as Joe of Marvel’s kid-friendly Star Comics Robertson tries to prove the innoimprint, features a story by Howard cence of longtime supporting cast Post that finds the Care Bears member Flash Thompson, who had attempting to cheer up the saddest been accused of being the villain. man in the world. The now-classic, five-part “Under Classic X-Men was a reprint title Siege” storyline by Roger Stern and that featured the earliest adventures John Buscema began in Avengers #273, of the new X-Men. Each issue tom defalco in which the largest-ever Masters of also contained a backup story that Evil group, led by Baron Zemo, use a complemented the main story. This combination of subterfuge and force to take control backup in Classic X-Men #3, by Chris Claremont and of Avengers Mansion. Captain America #323, by Mark John Bolton, gives insight into the background of Gruenwald and Paul Neary, featured the introduction X-Men member Thunderbird, who was killed in action of the Super-Patriot, the man who would assume the in X-Men #95 (Oct. 1975), which was reprinted in this role of Captain America the following year. The Super- issue. Cloak and Dagger #9, by Bill Mantlo and Arthur Patriot believed that he would make a better symbol Adams, sees the titular duo separated, with Dagger for America than Cap. Also in this issue, Captain attempting to escape her life with Cloak by joining the America has been forced by S.H.I.E.L.D. to maintain a circus, and Cloak embracing the darkness of his nature low profile in light of the negative public reaction to in the absence of his partner. Jim Owsley and John events in the previous two issues. Care Bears #7, part Buscema’s Conan the Barbarian #188 features Conan
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Weather Girl Newbie Arthur Adams provided this Storm cover for Classic X-Men #3. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
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Suitable for Framing… …if you bought a second copy for your collection, that is. (this page and opposite) A variety of covers from Marvel’s 25th anniversary month (see the sidebar on page 79 for artist credits). Don’t overlook the detail from Daredevil #236’s cover behind this caption. (Looking ahead, those cutesy kid comics from Marvel’s Star imprint will be explored this time next year, in BACK ISSUE #77.) All titles and characters TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc., except Care Bears TM & © American Greetings.
seeking revenge for the death of a king whom he had sworn to protect. At the same time, the Devourer of Souls plots against Conan. Conan the King #37, by Don Kraar, Judith Hunt, and Mike Manley, finds the king facing assaults from other nations while his children face trials of their own. In Daredevil #236, Ann Nocenti and Barry WindsorSmith address the notion of psychological trauma in veterans in the story of Jack Hazzard, a soldier who was experimented on and then abandoned by his government. The Black Widow has been hired to eliminate Hazzard, but Daredevil has other plans. Ewoks #10 continued a story that began in the previous month’s Droids #4. Dave Manak, Warren Kremer, and John Romita tell the tale of a time-lost C-3PO and R2-D2 coming to Endor and meeting the Ewoks before they met in the film Return of the Jedi. The 25th anniversary of where it all began took place in Fantastic Four #296. This 64-page, Jim Shooterplotted, Stan Lee-scripted issue featured pencils by Barry Windsor-Smith, Kerry Gammill, Ron Frenz, Al Milgrom, John Buscema, Marc Silvestri, and Jerry Ordway, and retraced the origins of the Fantastic Four as they search for the ever-lovin’, blue-eyed Thing, who returns to the team in this issue after a nearly three-year absence. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #53, by Larry Hama and Rod Whigham, finds Cobra Commander leading an assault on the Joes’ headquarters, the Pit, in an attempt to regain the support of his troops. In an effort to stop Cobra Commander and Destro, the Joes decide to demolish the Pit, which collapses, trapping the two beneath the rubble. George Gately’s mischievous feline, Heathcliff, starred in the longest-running Star Comics title. Heathcliff #12 featured three stories: “Spaced-Out Cat,” “The Kitnap Kaper,” and “Knight Life.” After returning to his original, gray-skinned incarnation the previous month, Bruce Banner is being held by S.H.I.E.L.D. in Incredible Hulk #325, by Al Milgrom and Steve Geiger. Meanwhile, a mysterious green monster is wreaking havoc in the surrounding area. At the end of the issue, a new, green Hulk abducts Bruce Banner. Iron Man
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#212, by Danny Fingeroth and Dwayne Turner, features Iron Man teaming up with the new Dominic Fortune, who has taken on the identity after his father’s death. This issue also features the return of the Iron Monger armor, which is deadlier than ever. Although the magazine was simply a promotional guide for Marvel Comics, Marvel Age #44 deserves mention simply for the gag on its cover. The back cover of the magazine featured the reverse of the frame covers and one can see that Howard the Duck (whose 1986 film was a disappointment) is apparently “behind” the UPC corner box of the front covers that month. Marvel Tales #193 began reprinting Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s pre-X-Men run on Marvel Team-Up and also featured a reprint from Fantastic Four Annual #1 that retells the story of the first meeting between Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. Masters of the Universe #4, by Mike Carlin and Ron Wilson, features Skeletor commanding the Snake Men to capture Cringer in an attempt to lure He-Man and Orko into battle. In Muppet Babies #10, Stan Kay and Marie Severin’s story finds Animal unleashing the Weather Demon after he steals a weather machine created by Bunsen and Beaker. New Mutants #45 contains one of the most powerful stories in writer Chris Claremont’s career. This Jackson Guice-drawn tale revolves around high school student Larry Bodine, who lives in fear of being “outed” as a mutant. His fear is seemingly realized when bullies from his high school threaten to report him. The outcome of the story is shocking and sadly relevant in today’s socio-political climate. Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #120, by Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen, contains a socially conscious story in which Spider-Man confronts a gang that has been hired by a greedy landlord to drive residents out of their low-income housing so that the landlord can tear the building down and replace it with luxury condominiums. Steve Mellor and Joe Albelo’s Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #12 features Spider-Ham vs. the Kingpig, and also contains a Fantastic Fur backup
story by Mike Mellor. The Thunder God gets involved in the “Mutant Massacre” storyline in Thor #373. This story, by Walter Simonson and Sal Buscema, begins with Thor attempting to rebuild his ties to Midgard in his civilian identity of Sigurd Jarlson. While entertaining a friend’s children with a fable, Puddlegulp, a frog who befriended Thor when the latter had been changed into a frog, tells Thor about the events in the Morlock tunnels. Thor travels into the tunnels and confronts the Marauders. Transformers #22 is the second part of a three-issue arc by Bob Budiansky and Don Perlin and introduces the Stunticons, who join together to form Menasor and battle the Aerialbots, who merge to form Superion. Uncanny X-Men #211, by Chris Claremont and John Romita, Jr., is a chapter in the “Mutant Massacre” storyline. The X-Men become aware of the massacre and rush to the aid of the Morlocks. Their confrontation with the Marauders cost them dearly as three of their members are injured in battle. Web of Spider-Man #20, by David Michelinie and Marc Silvestri, begins a two-issue arc in which Peter Parker and NOW magazine writer Joy Mercado travel to London, where they find themselves involved in an IRA terrorist attack at Heathrow Airport. The two begin to investigate Roxxon Oil’s connection to the attacks. Steve Englehart and Al Milgrom explore Tigra’s true nature in West Coast Avengers #14, the opening chapter of a two-part story that features Hellcat, Daimon Hellstrom, and Master Pandemonium. Finally, the “Mutant Massacre” is continued in X-Factor #10, by Louise and Walter Simonson. X-Factor discovers the massacre taking place in the Morlock tunnels. Events in this issue would lead to big changes for X-Factor member Angel.
THE EVENT THAT WASN’T Looking at the above list, one may be tempted (as this writer was) to believe that some of the storylines, particularly “Under Siege” and “Mutant Massacre,” were timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary. Avengers writer Roger Stern says, roger stern “I doubt that I was giving any thought to that, as I would have started plotting the story the year before. As for the story itself, I was just trying to update the Masters of Evil and make them more of a challenge for the Avengers.” Tom DeFalco echoes this, stating, “those were just
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Remember Storm’s Mohawk? Well, it was the ’80s, you know. Original art to page 17 of Uncanny X-Men #211. Script by Chris Claremont, layouts by John Romita, Jr., pencils by Bret Blevins, and inks by Al Williamson. Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
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self-generated stories. Editors were always saying, ‘Come up with something really exciting so we can sell it.’ It wasn’t, ‘Come up with something exciting because it’s the 25th anniversary.’” Some readers may find it surprising that Marvel Comics didn’t celebrate its silver anniversary with a big “event” story; after all, Marvel was the company behind two of the earliest comic-book events, Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars and its sequel Secret Wars II. Additionally, DC Comics had just wrapped its multiverseshattering Crisis on Infinite Earths maxiseries and was in the process of rebooting its flagship character in the Man of Steel miniseries by writer/artist John Byrne. According to DeFalco, “Crisis was kind of a response to Secret Wars, so we had already done that. We weren’t planning a response to DC’s response. In those days, we weren’t that focused on what DC was doing. We were just doing our own thing, and going forward. We would look at DC and say, ‘Oh, that’s kind of interesting,’ but we weren’t trying to copy anything.”
MARVEL’S LEGACY Few years in the history of comic books were as significant as 1986. DC Comics released seminal works Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, and Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. As mentioned earlier, 1986 also saw the beginning of a new DC Universe in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths and Man of Steel. The first collected edition of Art Spiegelberg’s Maus was released to critical acclaim. The market expanded as several notable independent publishers opened up shop. Dark Horse Comics, Eternity Comics, Gladstone, Malibu Comics, and Slave Labor Graphics all began operations in 1986. Comicbook historians repeatedly and rightfully cite these events when discussing 1986, yet Marvel’s 25th anniversary has gone largely ignored with the exception, perhaps, to mention the failure of the New Universe line. It is easy to see the effect that a quarter-century of Marvel Comics had on the events of 1986. Watchmen evokes one of the earliest themes that Stan Lee explored in Marvel titles with its approach to superheroes in a real-world setting, and is replete with flawed, morally ambiguous costumed heroes who are mistrusted by the general population. Years before Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller perfected his noir-ish, “grim and gritty” approach to costumed heroes in the pages of Daredevil. Critics and fans alike have referred to Man of Steel as the “Marvelization” of Superman. The influx of new publishers, each looking to do things differently than either Marvel or DC, is reminiscent of Stan Lee’s desire to break free from the established norms to which comic books subscribed at the time. One of the articles in Variety quotes Jim Shooter as saying, “The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this [the 25th anniversary] was a celebration of a revolution in comic books.” ’Nuff said.
MARVEL’S 25th ANNIVERSARY COVER ARTISTS Note: Comics marked with an asterisk (*) are issues for which no information about the artist could be found. • Alpha Flight #40: David Ross • Amazing Spider-Man #282: Rick Leonardi (p)/Bob Layton (i) • Avengers #273: John Buscema (p)/Tom Palmer (i) • Captain America #323: Mike Zeck (p)/Josef Rubinstein (i) • Care Bears #7: * • Classic X-Men #3: Art Adams • Cloak and Dagger #9: Terry Austin • Conan the Barbarian #188: John Buscema (p)/Ernie Chan (i) • Conan the King #37: Judith Hunt (p)/Art Nichols (i) • Daredevil #236: Walter Simonson (p)/Bill Sienkiewicz (i) • Ewoks #10: Warren Kremer • Fantastic Four #296: Barry Windsor-Smith • G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #53: Mike Zeck
• Heathcliff #12: Warren Kremer • Incredible Hulk #325: Al Milgrom • Iron Man #212: Mark D. Bright (p)/ Josef Rubinstein (i) • Marvel Age #44: Alan Kupperberg (p)/Joe Sinnott (i) • Marvel Tales #193: Steve Lightle • Masters of the Universe #4: Ron Wilson • Muppet Babies #10: Marie Severin • New Mutants #45: Barry Windsor-Smith • Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #120: Mark Beachum (p)/Josef Rubinstein (i) • Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #12: Joe Albelo • Thor #373: Walter Simonson • Transformers #22: Herb Trimpe • Uncanny X-Men #211: John Romita, Jr. (p)/Bob Wiacek (i) • Web of Spider-Man #20: * • West Coast Avengers #14: Al Milgrom (p)/Joe Sinnott (i) • X-Factor #10: Walter Simonson
Clint’s Squint And you thought only the pre-Crisis Clark Kent winked at the end of a story… Here’s the perfect sendoff for this article courtesy of Hawkeye, cover-featured on West Coast Avengers #14. Cover art by Milgrom and Sinnott.
DARRELL HEMPEL is a freelance writer who resides near Cincinnati, Ohio, and who can’t remember a time when he didn’t know about comic books. He thanks Mark Arnold for the Heathcliff info.
TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
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TM
[Editor’s note: Looking for information about Avengers #200? See BACK ISSUE #56, our Avengers issue.]
by
David
With Avengers #300 (Feb. 1989), the Avengers became the second of Marvel’s team books to reach the hallowed level of 300 issues. In this anniversary issue, writer Walter Simonson and artist John Buscema created an all-new lineup for the Avengers. It was one of the more unexpected lineups in Avengers history. BACK ISSUE spoke with Simonson and Ralph Macchio to discuss the formation and rapid demise of these new Avengers. Captain America (as the Captain), Thor, Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, and the Forgotten One. “It seemed a nice mix of old and new, and it was a mix readers wouldn’t have had any experience with or expectations for,” Simonson says. “Which means they wouldn’t Suiter necessarily have been able to guess in advance what sorts of stories I was going to tell, or how the stories or even the relationships between characters were going to develop. “In its origins, The Avengers, to me, was a book about various rather different individuals who come together to help Earth and mankind,” Simonson continues. “But they aren’t necessarily completely at ease with each other, at least not until they’ve had a chance to settle in. The team in general has become more collegial over the years, but I always liked that slight edge to them. I was hoping to invoke a little of that earlier sense of story. “I was writing The Avengers just about the time Marvel was moving to tie its continuity more tightly together. What that meant to me as a writer is that I was asked more or walter simonson less continuously during my year on the book to alter my stories to match other writers’ continuity whose characters had their own books. It quickly became clear that I was going to be making adjustments in my stories pretty much on the fly as long as I had any characters in the book that had their own titles. So I thought that a lineup with fewer Avengers who had their own continuity might not be a bad idea.” Simonson began his roster change by disassembling the then current Avengers team over the months leading to Avengers #300. One by one the heroes exited the book, until there were none. During the “Inferno” crossover (Marvel’s 1989 event), the Captain teamed with longtime friends Reed “Mr. Fantastic” Richards and Sue “Invisible Woman” Richards against Nanny and the Orphan Maker. Simonson recalls, “I thought adding Reed and
Fantastic Five Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman join two familiar faces and a “forgotten” one as the new team. Cover to Avengers #300 (Feb. 1989) by John Buscema and Tom Palmer. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
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Recalling the Forgotten One (left) Courtesy of Walter Simonson, his original model sheet for Gilgamesh, from 1988. (below) From Marvel Age #70, the Avengers #300 cover stars in their familiar forms. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
Sue was a really neat idea. At the time, Steve Englehart was writing the [Fantastic Four]. Steve had written Reed and Sue out of the FF and had no plans to bring them back. None. I thought the two of them were great characters, and at that point, they had no presence in the Marvel Universe. So I checked with editorial about six months in advance and got an approval to add them to the Avengers roster.” Simonson continues, “I thought that there were a number of character possibilities inherent in adding Reed and Sue to the Avengers. I looked forward to writing a rather complex relationship between Reed and Cap. Both were men accustomed to the habit of command. Reed was a brilliant mind; Cap, a seasoned warrior. I thought there was room for some conflict between two characters who clearly would have regarded each other with enormous respect, but might very well have had clear differences of opinion in how they would approach the matter of the Avengers, strategically and tactically. And I liked the idea of putting Sue in the middle of all that.”
RALPH MACCHIO AND WALTER SIMONSON TELL THE ORIGIN OF THE AVENGERS FROM A NEW POINT OF VIEW In the Avengers #300 (Feb. 1989) backup feature, writer Ralph Macchio and artist Walter Simonson recounted the events of Avengers #1 (Sept. 1963) from an all-new angle. “I remember it clearly,” Macchio says. “Mark [Gruenwald] came into my office and threw something at me: ‘We want one of the Avengers to retell the origin. Which hero should it be?’ It just clicked—Loki should tell the story because he must kick himself everyday for creating the Avengers. Mark’s eyes lit up with the thought. “Loki is a very Shakespearean character,” Macchio adds. “His own actions had brought about his own demise. His voice was unique to the origin story because he was the only one with the full perspective on the events. “It was just one of those occasions where the story seemed so logical, because Loki was so furious with himself for the unintended consequences that created the greatest force for good the world had ever seen.” Regarding the story’s artist, Macchio says, “When Walt agreed to draw it I was ecstatic. Dealing with a guy like Walt inspired what I was scripting.” According to Simonson, “I thought it would be fun to do the first Avengers. Back in those days at Marvel, we were all following in [Jack Kirby’s] footsteps … much of the playground in which we played was based on characters Jack helped to create, that everybody just took it for granted. It was fun to draw those early versions of the Avengers.” Tenth Anniversary Issue
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TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
WALTER SIMONSON REDESIGNS THE FORGOTTEN ONE FOR HIS RETURN TO THE MARVEL UNIVERSE “I was trying to capture a look that bore a relationship to the Gilgamesh character of the Sumerian epic,” Walt Simonson tells BACK ISSUE. I wanted something that harkened back to the literary origins of the character without simply clothing him in Sumerian costume. In the Epic of Gilgamesh—one of the earliest surviving works of literature—Gilgamesh and his friend, Enkidu, kill the Bull of Heaven. The Forgotten One, in his original Eternals introduction, had been many different heroes, including Hercules. Obviously, that couldn’t be the case in the Marvel Universe. But I liked the idea of using the Bull of Heaven’s head for the Forgotten One as a helmet, in the same way Hercules, in myth, used the pelt of the Nemean Lion he slew in his First Labor as a cloak with its head over his own. I felt it was a small tip of the hat to Kirby’s original conception of the Forgotten One.” Shown here is one of the few (maybe only) times Simonson drew in detail the newly designed Gilgamesh, for one of “The New Avengers 100 Project” blank covers for the Hero Initiative. Mr. Simonson recently touched up this image for inclusion in this issue, and we thank him for it!
The trio would soon be joined by the monster-hunter Gilgamesh, Plotted by Mark Gruenwald and scripted by Ralph Macchio, it was “Earth’s first hero, the first hero in the extant literature of mankind,” the only time this new lineup went into action together. Simonson says. “Who better to be an Avenger? Because of the murky In the storyline, the writers explored some of the ideas that origins of the Eternals with regard to the Marvel Universe, Jack Kirby Simonson intended for this lineup. “Mark wanted to create tension could write the Forgotten One … as though he had been any number with Cap and Reed,” Macchio says. “Cap wanted Reed to follow his of the early heroes of myth. There wasn’t a Marvel Gilgamesh, and I orders. Reed did not consciously want to take leadership but it was liked the idea of maintaining the Forgotten One’s ancient so ingrained in him that it made old habits hard to break. identity as mankind’s first hero.” “Sue said that Reed was competing with Ben Grimm The heroes were back, but they were not the (who was then successfully leading the Fantastic Four), Avengers. Kang the Conqueror, the Avengers’ archshowing that Reed was not vital to the FF running nemesis, was responsible for the group’s unification. smoothly,” says Macchio. The conflict between the Where Loki created the Avengers by accident two came to a head when “Reed goes off on his [see sidebar], Kang’s recreation of the team was an own with Quasar pursuing his own plan, which is act of self-preservation. Kang knew if the Avengers what won the day.” Cap was unsure how to take did not reform and stop the demons of “Inferno,” the break in the chain of command. his future timeline would be eliminated. With the Telling how he brought the team together, return of Thor to the Avengers, the new team was Macchio adds, “The event needed teamwork which complete. Kang’s manipulations led the heroes to they really had to work at.” He showed the heroes the heart of the demon invasion where they stood working in concert in the pages of Avengers #302 victorious. The Captain announced the Avengers (Apr. 1989); the team was rocketing through space in ralph macchio were reborn. one of the Invisible Woman’s spheres. “We were very The rebirth did not last. Marvel editorial disproud of the way this happened. It showed Thor couraged characters appearing in multiple titles within the same working with Sue to exit the sphere and slow it down. All the Avengers month, bringing an end to Simonson’s Avengers. The writer says, played their part and came together.” “Just as I got to the point where Reed and Sue were entering the title, Following the “Super-Nova Saga,” there I was told that editorial had decided to put Reed and Sue back into was a fill-in issue before John Byrne took over the FF, so I was told to write them out of the book after Avengers with Avengers #305 (July 1989). Reed and #300. Putting them back in the FF didn’t seem like a bad idea to me, Sue made an appearance but did not stick but it did rather scuttle my own plans for the Avengers, plans I’d been around. By Avengers #310 (Nov. 1989), working toward for months. I pled to keep the pair for at least a couple Gilgamesh was in a coma. The three additions more Avengers issues, so that the run-up to #300 wouldn’t seem so to the lineup in Avengers #300 never returned pointless. That was granted, but upon a little more reflection, I decided to active duty. that maybe I just wasn’t born to write The Avengers after all. I finished DAVID SUITER is the Hollywood Comic Books Examiner off issue #300, and left the title.” for Examiner.com. Based in Los Angeles, his love The extra issues that Simonson wanted came about in the three- of the Avengers can be traced to Avengers #300. issue “Super-Nova Saga” in Avengers #301–303 (Mar.–May 1989). 82 • BACK ISSUE • Tenth Anniversary Issue
by
With this edition, we celebrate the tenth anniversary of BACK ISSUE. When TwoMorrows publisher John Morrow approached me in 2003 about editing a startup magazine, his offer was predicated upon our nascent working relationship from the two books I had produced for him, Captain Action: The Original Super-Hero Action Figure and Dick Giordano: Changing Comics, One Day At a Time (not-so-subtle plugs!). Comic Book Artist had changed publishers and John wanted a new comics-history magazine to take its place on TwoMorrows’ schedule. I had enjoyed working with John and his wife Pam on my books, plus, being a North Carolina native, I felt that the Raleigh (NC)-based TwoMorrows was a good fit for me. I was right. But if you had asked me ten years ago if I thought I’d still be helming BI today, I probably would’ve said no. At that point, my decisions were shaped by the impatience of my youth and my inability to maintain a long-term commitment (outside of my marriage). My wife Rose and I had hopped from job to job, city to city, state to state, on a scattershot but adventurous trajectory that would induce motion sickness for less durable souls. My longest physical job stint had been three years on DC Comics’ staff, and my longest editorial tenure was roughly two years of Legion of Super-Heroes issues. The notion of doing the same job for a decade might have been dismissed by the Michael Eury of 2003. But a decade later, a lot has changed. I’ve lost my father, and other family members, friends, and mentors. I’ve moved across country, from Oregon to my North Carolina hometown. My mother is currently battling cancer for the second time. I’ve dealt with an adult-onset hearing loss, two surgeries, and other health issues. My wife and I both have weathered some career shakeups and home-repair emergencies. In other words, I’ve experienced the tribulations of life and aging— but BACK ISSUE has helped me through the process by anchoring me to some delightful youthful experiences (reading Bronze Age comic books) while piquing my intellectual curiosity through our explorations of the hows, whys, and whos behind those comics. Ten years of BACK ISSUE hasn’t been pure bliss, however. The Dreaded Deadline Doom has on a few occasions delivered some sucker punches. Our relationships with a handful of creators have gone sour; same with a couple of contributors. A few years back, I almost left the magazine due to overcommitment from my other work. And I still ache
Michael Eury
from the sting of one particularly nasty letter of comment I received (on my birthday!) a few years ago. Still, overall, the experience of being your guide through the yellowing pages of Bronze Age funnybooks has been a blast—so much of one that I’m ready to keep plugging away here in BI-dom for at least another ten years. BACK ISSUE itself has changed considerably during this time. The first issue was content-light and design-heavy, and it took a few issues to hone our look. Remember “Rough Stuff,” the pencil-art showcase that graduated into its own magazine, then later came back, only to disappear again? Or issue #5’s dueling Lynda Carter Wonder Woman (flip) covers by Alex Ross and Adam Hughes? How about the guest editorial written by my cat, Miss Edgewood, in our “Cat People” issue (#40)? I still crack up remembering the day I posed for a photo as the horror-comic host, the Fanboy Who Lives in His Mother’s Basement (#52). It was exciting when #54 popped up on AMC’s Comic Book Men. And readers are still talking about last year’s “Tabloids and Treasuries” issue (#61). We were originally a black-and-white publication, and outside of a few, random full-color art-gallery insert sections, our first major innovation came when we added a regular 16-page color section with issue #40; that issue, we also went from bimonthly publication to eight times a year. Our metamorphosis into the magazine we are today began with #50, when we tried out full-color printing on glossier paper. With #52, that became our regular format. A lot of comic books and comics publications have fallen by the wayside since 2003, and most superhero series have been rebooted (at least once). There aren’t a whole lot of publications on the stands right now with issue numbers higher than BI’s #69. So to celebrate our milestone, on the following pages we’ll take a look back at the covers and content of our previous editions. Before we begin, however, THANK YOU for being a BACK ISSUE reader. Many of you have remarked to me that you enjoy BI more than current comic books. While I would encourage all of our readers to seek out some new favorites among the wealth of material on the stands today, I appreciate your regarding BI as a safe haven. So whenever you want to escape the realities of today by revisiting a time when Superman wore his red briefs outside his tights and the Fantastic Four had a snarky robot ally, you know we’ll be here! Tenth Anniversary Issue
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BACK ISSUE • 83
KEY:
Batman, the Joker, and related characters TM & © DC Comics. Captain America, Wolverine, and related characters TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. The MAZE Agency TM & © Michael W. Barr.
P2P: Pro2Pro interview GSNT: Greatest Stories Never Told RS: Rough Stuff OMC: Off My Chest guest editorial BOTBG: Bring on the Bad Guys villain history PSN: Prince Street News cartoon by Karl Heitmueller, Jr.
#1 (Dec. 2003)
#3 (Apr. 2004)
Theme: DC vs. Marvel Cover: Batman vs. Captain America by George Pérez Contents: Marv Wolfman/George Pérez P2P, JLA/Avengers GSNT, Jack Kirby RS, Tarzan at DC and Marvel, Carmine Infantino OMC
Theme: Laughing Matters Cover: The Joker by Brian Bolland Contents: Keith Giffen/ J. M. DeMatteis/Kevin Maguire/Andy Helfer Justice League P2P, Plastic Man movie GSNT, 12 cartoonists RS, Joker BOTBG, Bugs Bunny meets the Super-Heroes, Mark Evanier OMC
#2 (Feb. 2004)
#4 (June 2004)
Theme: Totally ’80s Issue Cover: The MAZE Agency by Adam Hughes Contents: Comico history, Mike W. Barr/Adam Hughes MAZE Agency P2P, Matt Wagner/Diana Schutz Grendel P2P, Space Ghost vs. Herculoids GSNT, Twisted Tales and Alien Worlds, Barr OMC on DC Implosion and Cancelled Comics Cavalcade
Theme: Marvel Milestones Cover: Wolverine by John Byrne Contents: Julie Schwartz tribute, Chris Claremont/ John Byrne P2P, Teenage Wolverine GSNT, Wolverine art gallery, Wolverine RS, Secret Wars 20th anniversary, Punisher BOTBG, Walter Simonson/ Joe Casey Thor P2P
You can order any of these issues online at www.twomorrows.com While some early issues are sold out in print form, you can get all of the issues in digital format 84 • BACK ISSUE • Tenth Anniversary Issue
Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Ra’s al Ghul, and related characters TM & © DC Comics. Tomb of Dracula, Storm, Spider-Man, and related characters TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. Nexus TM & © Mike Baron and Steve Rude. Conan the Barbarian TM & © Conan Properties.
#5 (Aug. 2004)
#9 (Apr. 2005)
Theme: Comics in Hollywood Front cover: Lynda Carter Wonder Woman by Alex Ross Back cover: Lynda Carter Wonder Woman by Adam Hughes Contents: Lou Ferrigno interview, Marvel TV heroes of 1970s, unsold superhero cartoons GSNT, Lynda Carter interview, interviews with Wonder Woman TV cast members, John Romita OMC, Jerry Ordway RS, Star Trek in comics, Punisher director Mark Goldblatt interview
Theme: Cosmic Issue Cover: Nexus by Steve Rude Contents: Marvel’s Star Wars, Jim Starlin/Mike Mignola Cosmic Odyssey P2P, Mike Gold OMC, GrimJack, Crisis of the Soul GSNT, Time Warp, Mike Baron/Steve Rude Nexus P2P, Thanos BOTBG
#6 (Oct. 2004)
#10 (June 2005)
Theme: Halloween Issue Cover: Tomb of Dracula by Gene Colan and David Gutierrez Contents: Len Wein/Bernie Wrightson Swamp Thing P2P, Man-Thing/Swamp Thing GSNT, Tomb of Dracula, Marvel’s Godzilla, horror RS, Steve Bissette/Rick Veitch Swamp Thing P2P, Roy Thomas OMC, Charlton’s horror line, comics characters’ presidential bids
Theme: Pulp Fiction Cover: Ra’s al Ghul by Neal Adams Contents: Denny O’Neil/Michael Kaluta Shadow P2P, Howard Chaykin interview, Human Target, Jon Sable– Freelance, Sable TV show, DC’s black-and-white magazines GSNT, Ra’s al Ghul BOTBG, Roger Stern/Ron Frenz Kid Who Collected Spider-Man P2P, Doc Savage, Steve Englehart Dark Detective interview
#7 (Dec. 2004)
#11 (Aug. 2005)
Theme: Super Teams Cover: Batman and Superman by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson Contents: The Brave and the Bold, Jim Aparo interview, Ultimate Team-Up Guide, super teams RS, Teen Titans Elseworlds GSNT, Super-Sons, Fantastic Four P2P roundtable, Mark Evanier/Will Meugniot DNAgents P2P, Denny O’Neil OMC, Metropolis Superman Celebration, Santa Claus GSNT, Christopher Reeve tribute
Theme: Gods and Warriors Cover: Conan the Barbarian by John Buscema and Joe Jusko Contents: Sergio Aragonés/ Mark Evanier Groo P2P, The Wiz, gods and warriors RS, Superman vs. Spider-Man secret artist, King Arthur GSNT, Brian Bolland’s 1980s British Annuals, Conan in comics, fantasy art gallery, Arthur Suydam interview
#8 (Feb. 2005)
#12 (Oct. 2005)
Theme: Black Superheroes of the 1970s and 1980s Cover: Storm by Kyle Baker Contents: History of AfricanAmerican heroes, Marv Wolfman interview (Blade, Cyborg), Marvel’s black characters of the 1970s, X-Men RS, Denny O’Neil/Phil Lamarr John Stewart GL P2P, Neal Adams John Stewart GL interview, black cartoon heroes, Tony Isabella OMC
Theme: Extreme Makeovers Cover: Black-costume Spider-Man by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein Contents: Superman’s 1970 revamp, Murphy Anderson remembers the Swanderson team, Tony DeZuniga Weird Westerns interview, Jonah Hex newspaper strip GSNT, revamped hero RS, Steve Gerber Howard the Duck interview, Calculator BOTBG, Mike Friedrich Star*Reach OMC, Tom DeFalco/ Ron Frenz/Danny Fingeroth Spidey’s black costume P2P, John Byrne’s Shazam! GSNT, Watchmen and postmodern superheroes
Tenth Anniversary Issue
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BACK ISSUE • 85
Romance girl, Legion of Super-Heroes, Green Lantern, Batman, Shazam!, and related characters TM & © DC Comics. Master of Kung Fu, Werewolf by Night, Tigra, and related characters TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. E-Man TM & © Nicola Cuti and Joe Staton. G.I. Joe and Snake-Eyes TM & © Hasbro.
#13 (Dec. 2005)
#17 (Aug. 2006)
Theme: That ’70s Issue Cover: 100-Page Super-Spectacular parody with Romance Comics, Master of Kung Fu, and E-Man by Nick Cardy and Scott Hanna Contents: Nick Cardy interview and cover gallery, death of romance comics, Marvel’s 1970s love comics, Will Eisner’s A Contract with God, Nick Cuti/ Joe Staton E-Man P2P, ’70s Greatest Hits RS, behind the scenes at the BI Bullpen, Marvel fan mail, Up Your Nose and Out Your Ear, Aurora Comic Scenes, Kung-fu comics
Theme: Super Girls Cover: Tigra the Were-Woman by Bruce Timm Contents: Supergirl in the Bronze Age, Supergirl art gallery, 11 female comics creators P2P roundtable, superheroine RS, Tigra/Cat history, Diana Prince–Wonder Woman, Super Chicks of ’70s cartoons, Spider-Woman, Marv Wolfman and Phil Jimenez Donna Troy interviews, Flare, Batwoman, DC Double Comics GSNT, Bruce Timm Super Girls color art gallery
#14 (Feb. 2006)
#18 (Oct. 2006)
Theme: Future Issue Cover: Legion of Super-Heroes by Mike Grell Contents: Dave Cockrum/Mike Grell Legion P2P, Legion/Imperial Guard parallels, Hercules Unbound, Killraven, Mark Wheatley/Marc Hempel’s MARS, Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction, Bob McLeod and friends RS, Hex, Star Wars newspaper strip, Kamandi–the Last Boy on Earth, Planet of the Apes, Alex Toth OMC
Theme: Big, Green Issue Cover: Green Lantern by Neal Adams Contents: Peter David Incredible Hulk interview, Neal Adams interview and studio tour, Neal Adams Green Lantern/Green Arrow art gallery, solo adventures of Hal Jordan GL, Mike Grell Green Arrow interview, Dave Gibbons RS, Gerry Conway/John Romita Green Goblin’s Last Stand P2P, Now Comics’ Green Hornet, Green Team, Martian Manhunter
#15 (Apr. 2006)
#19 (Dec. 2006)
Theme: Weird Heroes Cover: Werewolf by Night by Arthur Adams Contents: Deadman history with José Luis García-López, Matt Wagner’s Demon, Phantom Stranger, Werewolf by Night, Gene Colan RS, Joe Kubert’s Ragman, ’Mazing Man, Michael Ploog and Don Perlin Ghost Rider interviews, Ghost Rider art gallery, Grodd of Gorilla City GSNT
Theme: Unsung Heroes Cover: Batman/Hugo Strange by Don Newton and Joe Rubinstein Contents: Defenders, Champions, Steve Gerber/Gene Colan Howard the Duck P2P, Unlimited Powers GSNT, Geppi’s Entertainment Museum tour, Richie Rich interview, Danny Fingeroth/Mike Carlin Assistant Editor’s Month P2P, Mark Gruenwald remembrance, Don Newton history and art gallery, Bob Wiacek interview, She-Hulk movie GSNT, Ty Hardin GSNT
#16 (June 2006)
#20 (Feb. 2007)
Theme: Toy Stories Cover: G.I. Joe Snake-Eyes sketch cover by Mike Zeck Contents: Arthur Adams Gumby interview, Transformers, Marvel’s G.I. Joe, Jack Kirby’s Super Powers, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Mike Zeck RS, Spider-Mobile and Supermobile, Milton Knight interview, Sal Buscema/Jackson Guice ROM and Micronauts P2P, Wonder Woman and the Star Riders GSNT, Captain Action
Theme: Secret Identities Cover: Shazam! Captain Marvel by Jerry Ordway Contents: Firestorm, Top Ten Ways to Hide Your Secret Identity, Steve Englehart/Sal Buscema Captain America/Nomad P2P, Ed Brubaker and Joe Casey P2P, Jerry Ordway interview, Dave Gibbons as the Big E, Human Fly, Superman color art gallery, Clark Kent P2P roundtable, Bob McLeod OMC about Vince Colletta, the Question, Wonder Woman Day
86 • BACK ISSUE • Tenth Anniversary Issue
Daredevil, Mary Jane Watson, Dr. Strange, Iron Man, Black Widow, and related characters TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. Robin, Aquaman, Mera, and related characters TM & © DC Comics.
#21 (Apr. 2007)
#25 (Dec. 2007)
Theme: The Devil You Say! Cover: Daredevil by Mike Zeck Contents: Mike Mignola Hellboy interview, Son of Satan, Fallen Angels GSNT, Plop!, Dan Mishkin/Gary Cohn Blue Devil P2P, Frank Miller’s Daredevil, Daredevil art gallery, Devil Dinosaur, Stig’s Inferno
Theme: Men of Steel Cover: Iron Man by Bob Layton Contents: Charlton’s Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman, Rich Buckler Deathlok interview, Deathlok: Beyond Buckler, Machine Man, Bob Layton/David Michelinie Iron Man P2P, Legends of the SuperHeroes TV specials, Paul Levitz World’s Greatest Superheroes comic strip interview, Steel the Indestructible Man, ROG-2000, H.E.R.B.I.E. the Robot
#22 (June 2007)
#26 (Feb. 2008)
Theme: Dynamic Duos Cover: Tim Drake Robin by Norm Breyfogle Contents: Robin, Batgirl and Robin team, Alan Grant/Norm Breyfogle Batman P2P, Captain America and the Falcon, Paul Levitz/Keith Giffen Legion P2P, Good Team-Ups/Bad Team-Ups, Norm Breyfogle teamups art gallery, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mike Richardson/Randy Stradley Dark Horse Comics P2P, Dick Giordano Day, Scott McCloud and Zot, Blue and Gold (Blue Beetle and Booster Gold)
Theme: Spies and Tough Guys Cover: Black Widow by Paul Gulacy Contents: Black Widow, Doug Moench/Paul Gulacy Master of Kung Fu P2P, James Bond in comics, Sgt. Rock team-ups, Airboy, Suicide Squad, Howard Chaykin Atlas Comics interview, Don McGregor’s Detectives, Inc. and Nathaniel Dusk, Joe Kubert’s Redeemer GSNT, Ms. Tree
#23 (Aug. 2007)
#27 (Apr. 2008)
Theme: Comics Go Hollywood Cover: Mary Jane Watson by Adam Hughes Contents: Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson 20th wedding anniversary, married superheroes, TV Isis, Isis in comics, Disney’s Gladstone comics, Flash TV show, Adam Hughes Goes Hollywood color art gallery, Star Trek writers P2P roundtable, Superman III and IV movie adaptations, Ray Harryhausen, Alex Toth, Welcome Back, Kotter
Theme: Comic-Book Royalty Cover: Aquaman and Mera by Nick Cardy Contents: Aquaman in Bronze Age, Sub-Mariner, Alan Weiss art gallery, Dr. Doom history, Arion—Lord of Atlantis, Mike W. Barr/Brian Bolland Camelot 3000 P2P, Black Panther, Why Kirby Was King, Night Force, Prince in comics, Elvis and Captain Marvel, Jr.
#24 (Oct. 2007)
#28 (June 2008)
Theme: Magic Cover: Dr. Strange by Michael Golden Contents: Michael Golden interview, Dr. Fate’s 1970s revival, Amethyst–Princess of Gemworld, Marshall Rogers tribute, Frank Brunner Dr. Strange interview, Dr. Strange art gallery, Cary Bates Silverblade interview, Peter Pan and Wendy GSNT, Zatanna, Conjura, CAPS celebration, Elementals
Theme: Heroes Behaving Badly Cover: Drunk Iron Man by Darwyn Cooke Contents: Thing vs. the Hulk, Ron Wilson Thing/MTIO interview, Herb Trimpe Hulk interview, Hulk magazine, Hulk UK comic GSNT, David Lloyd Night Raven interview, Kid Miracleman, Mark Shaw— Manhunter, Tony Stark’s alcoholism, John Byrne Heroes Crossing the Line interview, Terra BOTBG, Trial of the Flash, Secret History of All-American Comics GSNT
Tenth Anniversary Issue
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BACK ISSUE • 87
X-Men, Howard the Duck, Spider-Mobile, Adam Warlock, Thanos, Kraven the Hunter, Spider-Man, Morbius the Living Vampire, Werewolf by Night, and related characters TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. Shazam!, New Teen Titans, and related characters TM & © DC Comics.
#29 (Aug. 2008)
#33 (Apr. 2009)
Theme: Mutants Cover: New X-Men by Dave Cockrum Contents: Claremont and Byrne’s X-Men, lost Angel stories GSNT, the Beast, Ann Nocenti/Arthur Adams Longshot interview, Paul Smith’s X-Men, Captain Britain, Superman 70th Anniversary salute, DC’s mutant—Captain Comet, New Mutants, X-Factor, John Romita, Jr. interview, Secret History of All-American Comics GSNT
Theme: Teen Heroes Cover: New Teen Titans by George Pérez Contents: Teen Titans 1970s revival, Mego Teen Titans, Mike Baron/Jackson Guice Flash P2P, Michael Gray TV Shazam! interview, Ron Dante Archies interview, Power Girl, Legion of Super-Heroes fashions art gallery, Kitty Pryde, Nova, Firestar, Fabian Nicieza/Mark Bagley New Warriors P2P, James Bond, Jr., Steve Skeates interview, Secret History of All-American Comics GSNT
#30 (Oct. 2008) Theme: Saturday Morning Heroes Cover: Jackson Bostwick Shazam! by Alex Ross Contents: DC’s Shazam! revival, Captain Thunder GSNT, Super Friends on TV, Super Friends in comics, Adam Hughes remembers Dave Stevens, Super Powers Fourth Wave GSNT, Gary Owens Space Ghost interview, Steve Rude Space Ghost interview, Now Comics’ Astro Boy, Marv Wolfman Adventures of Superman OMC, Nicola Cuti interview, Secret History of All-American Comics GSNT
#31 (Dec. 2008) Theme: Steve Gerber Tribute Cover: Howard the Duck (the Barbarian) by Frank Brunner Contents: Howard the Duck, Frank Brunner OMC, Gene Colan/Val Mayerik Howard the Duck P2P, Gerber’s Gruesomes (Man-Thing, Tales of the Zombie, etc.), Steve Gerber in the Marvel Universe, Gerber’s Greatest Hits art gallery, Crazy! magazine, Metal Men, Mr. Miracle, Steve Gerber Phantom Zone interview, Thundarr the Barbarian, Gerber’s mature comics series, creator remembrances
#32 (Feb. 2009) Theme: Tech, Data, and Hardware Cover: Spider-Mobile schematic by Eliot R. Brown and Dusty Abell Contents: Joe Staton/Ethan Van Sciver Green Lantern P2P, Art of Joe Staton exhibit, ROM: Spaceknight, Legend of Bill Mantlo, Marv Wolfman/Len Wein/Bob Greenberger Who’s Who P2P, looseleaf Who’s Who, Eliot R. Brown Marvel Handbooks interview, Dial “H” for Hero, Richie Rich’s inventions, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy exhibit, Secret History of All-American Comics GSNT
88 • BACK ISSUE • Tenth Anniversary Issue
#34 (June 2009)
Theme: New World Order Cover: Warlock and Thanos by Jim Starlin Contents: Adam Warlock, Jim Shooter’s First Day at Marvel interview, New Universe, Dick Giordano/Pat Bastienne Crisis on Infinite Earths P2P, Post-Crisis DC Universe You Didn’t See GSNT, Logan’s Run, Bob Wiacek Star Wars and Star-Lord interview, Art of Marvel Slurpee cups, Star Hunters, Marvelman, Steve Skeates interview continued from Alter Ego, Secret History of All-American Comics GSNT
#35 (Aug. 2009)
Theme: Villains Cover: Kraven the Hunter by Mike Zeck Contents: J. M. DeMatteis/Mike Zeck Kraven’s Last Hunt P2P, Hobgoblin P2P roundtable, Wanted: The World’s Most Dangerous Villains, Secret Society of Super-Villains, Mike Vosburg interview, the Joker’s own comic, Magneto, Kobra, Ned Beatty Otis interview, Luthor and Brainiac, Secret History of All-American Comics GSNT
#36 (Oct. 2009)
Theme: Monsters Cover: Morbius vs. Werewolf by Night by Earl Norem Contents: Bernie Wrightson interview, Monster of Frankenstein, Frankenstein in Comics, Vampirella, Morbius the Living Vampire, the original Swamp Thing’s latter days, Patchwork Man and Man-Bat, monster art gallery, Anton Arcane and Un-Men BOTBG, Dr. Thirteen, Tony DeZuniga interview, Tony Isabella and Dick Ayers It! P2P, Golem, Power Records’ monster comics, Secret History of All-American Comics GSNT
#37 (Dec. 2009)
Theme: Comics Go to War Cover: Sgt. Rock by Joe Kubert Contents: Sgt. Rock stories during Vietnam era, Joe Kubert interview, Kubert School, comics creator biography books, Blackhawk GSNT, Wonder Woman’s WWII adventures, Combat Kelly, Unknown Soldier, George Pratt Enemy Ace interview, Invaders, Marvel Comics and Catholic Church, Don Lomax Vietnam Journal interview, Sad Sack
Sgt. Rock, Catwoman, Jonah Hex, and related characters TM & © DC Comics. The Thing, Franklin Richards, Spider-Ham, Captain America, Shanna the She-Devil, Spider-Man, and related characters TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. American Flagg! TM & © Howard Chaykin.
#38 (Feb. 2010)
Theme: Family Cover: The Thing and Franklin Richards by John Byrne Contents: John Byrne’s Fantastic Four, Ultron BOTBG, Marvel Marital Mayhem, Louise Simonson/June Brigman/ Jon Bogdanove Power Pack P2P, The 99, Heidi Saha, return of RS, New Gods GSNT, Wonder Twins, Batgirl, Huntress, Brothers Grimm BOTBG, Marvel Family GSNT
#39 (Apr. 2010)
Theme: April Fools Cover: Spider-Ham by Mike Wieringo and Karl Kesel Contents: Spider-Ham, Fred Hembeck interview, Forbush-Man, Keith Giffen/Robert Loren Fleming Ambush Bug P2P, John Byrne’s She-Hulk, Big Boy Comics, RS, Alan Kupperberg interview, MAD in the 1970s, Marvel’s parody titles, Reid Fleming– the World’s Toughest Milkman, Flaming Carrot, David Chelsea interview, funny animal hero art gallery
#40 (May 2010)
Theme: Cat People Cover: Catwoman by Joe Staton Contents: Vixen, Wildcat, ThunderCats, Josie and the Pussycats, Tiger-Man, Catwoman: Good Kitty or Bad Kitty? BOTBG, Black Cat BOTBG, White Tiger and the Sons of the Tiger, RS, Hellcat, Pumaman, the Badger
#41 (July 2010)
Theme: Red, White, and Blue Cover: American Flagg and Captain America by Howard Chaykin Contents: American Flagg!, Contest of Champions, Twelve Trials of Wonder Woman, Roy Thomas/Gene Colan Wonder Woman P2P, Captain America Brooklyn Heights era, Roger Stern/John Byrne Captain America, Red Skull, Uncle Sam and Freedom Fighters, RS, Team America, unpublished Team America GSNT
#42 (Aug. 2010)
Theme: Wild West Cover: Jonah Hex by Tony DeZuniga Contents: Michael Fleisher interview, Earth-One Vigilante, Two-Gun Kid as an Avenger, DC’s Bronze Age Western heroes, Jonah Hex art gallery, Mego Western heroes, Red Wolf, RS, Charlton’s 1970s Westerns, Rawhide Kid miniseries, Caleb Hammer, Timothy Truman’s Scout
#43 (Sept. 2010)
Theme: Born to Be Wild Cover: Shanna the She-Devil by Frank Cho Contents: Shanna, Bruce Jones/Brent Anderson Ka-Zar P2P, Was Conan a Racist?, Rima the Jungle Girl, Red Sonja, Korg: 70,000 B.C., Claw the Unconquered, Beowulf, Sonja Con, Larry Hama interview
#44 (Oct. 2010)
Theme: Spider-Man in the Bronze Age Cover: Spider-Man by Bob Larkin Contents: All-Spider-Man content: drug issues, Gerry Conway interview, deaths of Gwen Stacy and Green Goblin, Spidey Super Stories, Power Records, Marvel Team-Up, Spidey art gallery, Spidey guestappearances, Amazing Spider-Man TV show, Japanese Spidey TV show, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man, newspaper strip, Clone Saga P2P roundtable
Tenth Anniversary Issue
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BACK ISSUE • 89
#45 (Dec. 2010)
Theme: Odd Couples Cover: Green Lantern/Green Arrow by Neal Adams Contents: Power Man and Iron Fist, Steve Englehart JLA interview, Aquaman and Deadman, Daredevil and Black Widow, Green Lantern and Green Arrow, Vision and Scarlet Witch, Cloak and Dagger
#46 (Feb. 2011)
Green Lantern, Green Arrow, The Warlord, Batman, Robin, House of Mystery, and related characters TM & © DC Comics. Captain Marvel, Thanos, Deathlok, and related characters TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. The Rocketeer TM & © The Rocketeer Trust.
Theme: Greatest Stories Never Told Cover: Warlord/Savage Empire by Mike Grell Contents: All GSNT: The Cat #5, Captain America musical, Mike Grell’s Savage Empire, Batman/Star*Reach comic, Fantastic Four: Fathers and Sons GN, Pandora Pann, RS, Black Canary miniseries, Aquaman II, Last Galactus Story, Wolf Man adaptation, Miracleman Triumphant
#47 (Apr. 2011)
Theme: Thrilling Days of Yesteryear Cover: Rocketeer by Dave Stevens Contents: The Phantom at Charlton and DC, Justice Inc., Dominic Fortune, Dave Stevens’ final interview, Danny Bilson/Paul DeMeo Rocketeer movie P2P, Miracle Squad, Man-God
#48 (May 2011)
Theme: Dead Heroes Cover: Captain Marvel vs. Thanos by Jim Starlin Contents: Deadman, Many Deaths of Aunt May, Jim Starlin interview, Elektra BOTBG, the Flash, Jason Todd Robin
90 • BACK ISSUE • Tenth Anniversary Issue
#49 (July 2011)
Theme: 1970s Time Capsule Cover: Deathlok by Rich Buckler and John Beatty Contents: Relevance in comics, Spider-Man Rock Reflections LP, Roy Thomas Marvel calendars interview, Richard Dragon– Kung-Fu Fighter, Planet of the Apes, FOOM and Amazing World of DC Comics, Captain Sticky, new comics outlets, Bert Fitzgerald Fast Willie Jackson interview, DC Comics Salutes the Bicentennial, Fireside Books reprints
#50 (Aug. 2011)
Theme: Batman in the Bronze Age Cover: Batman and Robin by Jim Aparo Contents: All-Batman content: In Praise of Jim Aparo, Denny O’Neil/Neal Adams P2P, unsung creators, Batman Family, Duela Dent (Harlequin) interview with Bob Rozakis, Batman in the 1980s, Nocturna BOTBG, Batman collected editions, Untold Legend of the Batman, Dark Knight Returns
#51 (Sept. 2011)
Theme: All-Interview Issue Cover: Batman by Marshall Rogers Contents: Interviews with: Steve Englehart, Walter Simonson/Erik Larsen P2P from 1993, John Ostrander, Adrienne Roy’s last interview, Len Wein/Doug Moench P2P, Janice Chiang/Todd Klein letterers P2P, PSN: Superman’s New Costume, Gene Colan tribute
#52 (Oct. 2011)
Theme: Mystery Comics Cover: House of Mystery by Bernie Wrightson Contents: Hosts of Horror, Bernie Wrightson interview, Sergio Aragonés interview, Ghosts, Gerry Talaoc interview, Black Orchid, Madame Xanadu, Lore Shoeberg interview, Charlton’s mystery titles, Mark Evanier/Dan Spiegle ScoobyDoo P2P
#53 (Dec. 2011)
Thor, the Avengers, and related characters TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. Big Barda, DC montage, Justice League of America, Batman, the Scarecrow, and related characters TM & © DC Comics. Star Wars: Clone Wars TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. Space Ghost TM & © Hanna-Barbera Productions.
Theme: Gods Cover: Thor by Walter Simonson Contents: Thor in the early Bronze Age, Walt Simonson’s Thor, Three Ways to End the New Gods Saga, Moondragon, Hercules–Prince of Power, Hercules in comics, Michael Moorcock interview, Tom DeFalco/Ron Frenz Thunderstrike P2P, Michael Uslan interview
#54 (Feb. 2012)
Theme: Liberated Ladies Cover: Big Barda by Bruce Timm Contents: Big Barda, Valkyrie, Ms. Marvel, PSN: High-Heel Fighting, Barbara Kesel/Gail Simone/Jill Thompson P2P, Starfire (sword and sorcery), Phoenix BOTBG, Savage She-Hulk
#55 (Apr. 2012)
Theme: Licensed Comics Cover: Star Wars: Clone Wars cover by Brian Koschack Contents: Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Weird Worlds, John Carter– Warlord of Mars, Man from Atlantis, Carol (Mrs. Rod) Serling Twilight Zone interview, Star Wars at Dark Horse Comics, Indiana Jones at Marvel and Dark Horse, Indiana Jones GSNT
#56 (May 2012)
Theme: Avengers in the Bronze Age Cover: Avengers’ Big Three (Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor) by George Pérez Contents: All-Avengers content: Wonder Man, Avengers Mansion, Roger Stern’s Avengers, Hawkeye, Hawkeye miniseries, Mockingbird, You Know You’re an Avenger When…, Roger Stern/Steve Englehart West Coast Avengers P2P, Avengers toys, Avengers art gallery
#57 (July 2012)
Theme: The Career of Jenette Kahn Cover: Jenette Kahn montage by Michael Kronenberg Contents: Jenette Kahn interview, Dollar Comics, PSN: DC Implosion Happy Hour, Lost DC Kids Line, Wonder Woman Foundation, DC social-issues comics, Birth of Vertigo, Bob Wayne interview, Eduardo Barreto tribute
#58 (Aug. 2012)
Theme: Justice League of America in the Bronze Age Cover: Justice League Detroit by Luke McDonnell and Bill Wray Contents: Mostly JLA content: Satellite Years, unofficial JLA/Avengers crossovers GSNT, Ralph Macchio Squadron Supreme (Marvel’s JLA) interview, You Know You’re a Justice Leaguer When…, Justice League Detroit, Gerry Conway/Dan Jurgens P2P
#59 (Sept. 2012)
Theme: Toon Comics Cover: Space Ghost by Steve Rude Contents: Space Ghost in comics, Marvel’s Hanna-Barbera line, PSN: Hanna-Barbera superheroes at Marvel, Plastic Man comic strip GSNT, Marvel Productions Ltd., Comico’s Jonny Quest, Marvel’s Dennis the Menace, Star Blazers
#60 (Oct. 2012)
Theme: Halloween Heroes and Villains Cover: Batman vs. Scarecrow by Tim Sale Contents: Batman: The Long Halloween, Gregory Wright interview, DC’s Scarecrow BOTBG, Marvel’s Scarecrow, PSN: horror characters, Solomon Grundy BOTBG, Rutland Memories, Man-Wolf, Dead Avengers, Lord Pumpkin BOTBG
Tenth Anniversary Issue
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#61 (Dec. 2012)
Theme: Tabloids and Treasuries Cover: Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes wraparound by Alex Ross Contents: Perils of DC/Marvel Tabloid Era, Rudolph, Superman tabloids, The Bible, Super Friends, Secrets of Oz, DC/Marvel crossovers, Captain America’s Bicentennial Battles, Superman vs. Wonder Woman, Superboy and the Legion, Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, Superman vs. Shazam!, Paul Dini/Alex Ross P2P
Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superman, Bizarro, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, and related characters TM & © DC Comics. Spider-Man, Hulk, the Thing, Fantastic Four, Green Goblin, Dr. Doom, Sub-Mariner, Thor, Silver Surfer, Daredevil, Captain America, and related characters TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
#62 (Feb. 2013)
Theme: Superman in the Bronze Age Cover: Superman vs. Bizarro #1 by José Luis García-López Contents: All-Superman content: Julius Schwartz Superman Dynasty, salutes to Cary Bates and Elliot S! Maggin, Private Life of Curt Swan, Superman backup series, Superman Family, Atomic Skull BOTBG, World of Krypton miniseries, PSN: Superman: The Movie, Supermobile, Superman of Earth-Two, Superman collected editions, Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
#63 (Apr. 2013)
Theme: British Invasion Cover: Marvel Superheroes vs. Supervillains trifold by Ron Wilson and Dave Hunt Contents: Marvel UK history, Marvel UK’s landscape comics, Jim Starlin Marvel UK interview, Beatles in comics, Doctor Who, Warrior magazine, Bob Greenberger: Eyewitness to the British Invasion (at DC), Peter Milligan/Brendan McCarthy P2P, Alan Davis’ Excalibur, Marshal Law, V for Vendetta, Joe Kubert tribute
#64 (May 2013)
Theme: Backup Series Cover: Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary cover by Mike Grell Contents: Green Lantern, Green Arrow and Black Canary, Metamorpho, Rose and the Thorn, Seven Soldiers of Victory, Jason Bard, Archie Goodwin and Walter Simonson’s Manhunter, Whatever Happened to…?, PSN: Whatever Happened to More DC Universe Residents, Martin Pasko/Keith Giffen Dr. Fate P2P, Nemesis
92 • BACK ISSUE • Tenth Anniversary Issue
#65 (July 2013)
Theme: B-Teams Cover: Defenders by Kevin Nowlan Contents: Defenders, Champions, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doom Patrol interviews (with Arnold Drake, Paul Kupperberg, Steve Lightle, and Erik Larsen), Titans West, Inhumans, Legion of Substitute Heroes, Peter David’s X-Factor
#66 (Aug. 2013)
Theme: Team-Ups Cover: Marvel Superheroes by Gil Kane and Terry Austin Contents: Batman of Earth-B, PSN: Rejected B&B team-ups, Super-Team Family, Marvel Team-Up, Al Milgrom MTU cover gallery, Marvel Two-in-One, Super-Villain Team-Up BOTBG, Swamp Thing #25 GSNT, World’s Finest/ DC Comics Presents Superman team-ups, X-Men/New Teen Titans, Superman vs. Captain Marvel
#67 (Sept. 2013)
Theme: Heroes Out of Time Cover: Batman: Gotham by Gaslight by Mike Mignola Contents: Brian Augustyn/ Mark Waid/Mike Mignola Gotham by Gaslight interview, P. Craig Russell interview, Karate Kid, X-Men: Days of Future Past, New Mutants: Asgardian Wars, Kang BOTBG, Booster Gold, Bob Wayne/Lewis Shiner/ Art Thibert Time Masters P2P, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Comic Book
#68 (Oct. 2013)
Theme: Legion of Super-Heroes in the 1970s and 1980s Cover: Legion cover by Dave Cockrum Contents: All-Legion content: Move Over, Superboy!, New Adventures of Superboy, Legion fantasy covers by John Watson, Legion’s Honored Dead, Paul Levitz interview, Legion in the 1980s, Time Trapper BOTBG, Cosmic Boy miniseries
Send your comments to: Email: euryman@gmail.com (subject: BACK ISSUE) Postal mail: Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief • BACK ISSUE 118 Edgewood Ave. NE • Concord, NC 28025
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CATCHING UP ON THE JENETTE KAHN INTERVIEW The following is a letter received last October about BACK ISSUE #57’s cover feature, Bob Greenberger’s in-depth interview with former DC Comics publisher and president Jenette Kahn. It was squeezed out of earlier “Back Talk” columns… I’d like to say upfront that, as always, the overall issue was enjoyable and informative, especially about the startup of Vertigo and the still-missed PSA one-pagers. Now, onto the matter at hand, which I realize is shaded by my lack of editorial experience: Page 4: I found her description of Tubby’s nose-cone disguise as “so out there, the idea that no one would recognize you if you disguised yourself with a cone on your nose,” to be somewhat peculiar coming from a person who shepherded a company whose most iconic figure disguises himself with a pair of spectacles. I was surprised that the only response to this was, “Oh, sure,” though I understand if this was not deemed important and you were merely letting her talk at this point. Page 6: I still have issues of Dynamite (including the 3-D one) and think their comic-book-hero origin pages were instrumental in drawing me into the wonderful four-color fantasy world. Page 7: “Bill said to me, ‘We’re firing our publisher of DC Comics and we don’t want to hire anybody.” …NO FOLLOW-UP!?! Mr. Eury, was the firing of Carmine Infantino covered in TM & © DC Comics. another issue? I noticed in other locations throughout the issue, that further exploration of various topics were noted by an editorial footnote. Page 8: “What were those early days like for you?” I was looking for a counter-piece sidebar of, “What the end was like for Carmine then” as a way to further illuminate and set the tone for Ms. Kahn’s
entrance. Why did they think they could manage a publishing company without hiring a publisher? Doesn’t that business model merit some exploration? Page 10: Whereas the questioning on Vinnie Colletta was given up on quickly, there was continued inquiry (page 11) regarding the “Old Boys Club” vs. Sol Harrison’s Junior Woodchucks, even though Jenette said she didn’t recall either matter. It seemed there was some interesting backstory to Vinnie’s termination other than the issue of hiring George Tuska without prior approval. Page 17: I have many letters from DC with the “Hero Ladder” logo and enjoyed seeing the change in the hero ladder lineups over the years. Page 38: (last page) A picture of Stan Lee and Jenette Kahn: What was that encounter like? Where’s the follow-up? What did she think of her Marvelous Competitor? This brings to mind, what are her thoughts on other high-profile talents that worked for her, like Neal Adams and John Byrne? I see there are reproductions of a couple of Jenette’s “Publishorials” and wondered why her introductory one, where she gives her own background and includes a caricature of her by Neal Adams was not included in the piece? Now, I realize some of these points may have been editorial considerations and my concerns are not the same as others (e.g., the firing of Carmine takes the focus away from the point of the article being about Jenette’s personal experiences), so I hope I did not come off as being hyper-critical and a “know-itNOT-at-all.” I simply have passion about the opinions and ideas expressed and didn’t want to just give you a one-sentence summation. – Vinny Bellizia Vinny, I shared your letter with Bob Greenberger, who kindly offered the response below: The firing of Carmine is a bit of comics lore and is actually worthy of a different kind of article, but no follow-up was needed here since it had no impact other than to open the door for JK to come on board. His lack of business acumen, commercial taste, and management skills all contributed to his ouster. That I got JK to confirm the legend of Joe Orlando throwing up upon hearing the news was, for me, a big score. Vinnie [Colletta] was a colossal mistake and one she clearly didn’t want to discuss. TwoMorrows’ book on Vinnie also skirted the issue, so it’s not one we’re likely to ever know the full story. The pics, including the one of JK and Stan, came after the interview was concluded so there wasn’t much opportunity to do a follow-up on that. They met repeatedly through the years. I do know, and should have asked, how closely she followed Marvel and the rising independent publishers. My bad. Vinny Bellezia also sent a follow-up email inquiring about DC’s 1-800-line and Amazing World of DC Comics (AWODCC) fanzine, to which Bob Greenberger remarks: Tenth Anniversary Issue
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Thanks, Bob, for your comments. Like Bob said, Vinny, the Infantino dismissal from DC wasn’t the focus of this interview. Mr. Infantino presented his side of the story on a variety of occasions, including his autobiography, The Amazing World of Carmine Infantino. I’ve yet to read a detailed version of DC’s corporate perspective of Carmine’s ouster—i.e., what was said from the other side of the table—and I’m not sure that I’d want to even if such information were shared. We try to maintain a positive tone in BACK ISSUE, and from my perspective, some private matters should remain private. Re Jenette Kahn’s premiere Publishorial: We didn’t have it at our disposal for inclusion in the issue. But thank you, Vinny, for sending a scan of it, which we’ve included on this page. Re AWODCC, that fondly remembered “prozine,” as well’s as Marvel’s counterpart, FOOM, was profiled back in BACK ISSUE #49. And now, we fast-forward to letters about our “Backups” issue, BI #64—starting with another missive from Mr. Bellizia… – M.E.
WHERE’S HELENA? [BACK ISSUE #64] was full of many backup features, some I looked forward to (“Green Arrow” in ’Tec), some I was not aware of (“Metamorpho” in Action), but I wondered why Levitz and Staton’s “Huntress” backup from Wonder Woman, which was collected in 2006 into a TPB, was not covered? I realize not everything could be covered (no “Atom” backups were mentioned that I noticed; did Marvel even have any or did they just have split titles?), so I wondered how the characters that were covered was determined. – Vinny Bellizia Vinny, there was one of my “preemptive strike” messages about this topic in BI #64’s “Back Seat Driver” editorial, but to reiterate for sake of answering your letter, several backup series had previously been covered in BACK ISSUE. (We featured a Huntress article in BI #38.) The lineup was determined after I entertained pitches from BI’s writers’ pool—although we started the dialogue with a list of features that I wanted to include (such as Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Metamorpho) that had not yet had a chance to be covered in the magazine. Others were excluded because there are certain forthcoming themes that will invite their inclusion (the Atom is coming in issue #76, appropriately themed “Let’s Get Small”). Marvel has rarely featured actual backup features, and although we considered a couple in BI #64, the issue’s contents turned out to be DC specific. – M.E.
BLACK CANARY BUSTS OUT The picture of the cover of Flash Comics [#89, Nov. 1974] shown on page 32 came out in 1947, not 1974. The cover of Detective Comics #554 shown on page 20 may indeed have been inspired by the debut of Robin on the cover in ’Tec #38, but I suspect it was inspired more by Flash Comics #92, 1948, the original debut of Black Canary. Even the positions of Batman and Green Arrow are almost identical to Flash and Hawkman. – Art Kazar 94 • BACK ISSUE • Tenth Anniversary Issue
TM & © DC Comics.
The 800-line was a prerecorded message, masterminded by Mike Gold when he ran the company’s PR in the 1970s. Personally, I never called in and have no idea what news it shared. Amazing World was the company’s in-house fanzine, lasting 17 glorious issues. It was produced by Levitz and the Woodchucks, with some great behind-thescenes photos, unpublished stories, and other tasty tidbits. You can find copies on eBay and personally, I think they should collect and release them as a time capsule of days gone by.
Art, that Flash Comics #89 matter (on the cover featuring the Golden Age Thorn, from BI #64’s “Rose and the Thorn” article) was obviously a typo. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. And you’re absolutely right about that Black Canary cover homage! For fun, above we’re presenting the Robin debut cover (Detective Comics #38, Apr. 1940, cover art by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson) and the two Black Canary covers, Flash Comics #92 (Feb. 1948, cover by Carmine Infantino) and Detective #554 (Sept. 1985, cover by Klaus Janson). – M.E.
NO NEMESIS IN B&B #179 It was a great thrill to receive my copies of BI #64 in the mail, containing my first article for the magazine! Of course, not five minutes after cracking open my copy, I noticed a small error that crept into the checklist that ran on page 71 in my “Beyond Capes” article on “Nemesis.” Despite what I noted on the list, the Nemesis feature did not appear in The Brave and the Bold #179—that issue was a full-length team-up between Batman and the Legion of Super-Heroes. I managed to get it correct in the body of the article on page 72, but somehow B&B #179 crept in to the checklist I included. Sorry for the error and any confusion it may have caused to any BI readers looking to collect the complete adventures of Nemesis. Now, if DC could just compile all those adventures in a black-and-white Showcase Presents volume, no one would have this problem! And a big, belated THANK YOU to letterer supreme Todd Klein for graciously sending me a high-res copy of the Nemesis logo he designed for use in the mock Nemesis #1 cover I did. Thank you, Todd—that was a big help! By the way, I highly recommend the recent TwoMorrows release Dan Spiegle: A Life in Comic Art [by John Coates with Dan Spiegle] for anyone looking to learn more about Mr. Spiegle’s life and career, or fans of great comic art in general. Thanks for another great issue, Michael! – John Trumbull You’re welcome, John, and thank you for being a part of it—and for that correction. – M.E.
SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY SCRIPT Just read the Seven Soldiers article in BI #64 … and remembered that I was one of the writers Paul Levitz gave a chapter of that lost story to do rewrites/updating on. In fact, I still have the original copy of Chapter 6 of Joe Samachson’s 1945 script in my files (as well as my script of the rewrite)—that beautiful art job by José Luis García-López and Mike Royer (how could I ever forget THAT?!)! Thought BI readers might like a look at a page or two of this Golden Age artifact. Samachson, by the way, wrote his scripts (well, this one, at least) of the back of pre-printed paper used for writing radio scripts. BTW, according to Wikipedia, Samachson (1906–1980) had a Ph.D in chemistry from Yale, was an assistant professor of medicine
Script pages from Chapter 6 of writer Joe Samachson’s 1945 Seven Soldiers of Victory serial. Courtesy of Paul Kupperberg. TM & © DC Comics.
at the College of Medicine, University of Illinois, headed a metabolic research laboratory for the VA, and, in addition to comics, also wrote science fiction (some under a pseudonym) and scientific papers … and, of course, co-created the Martian Manhunter with artist Joe Certa in 1955! – Paul Kupperberg Paul, it’s kind of you to share these script scans Joe Samachson script pages—and it’s clear when looking at the page borders of these scans that Samachson was an early practitioner of recycling. – M.E.
BACKUPS TAKE NO BACK SEAT BACK ISSUE #64 (the “Backup Series” issue) certainly didn’t have to take a back seat to anyone, and that’s no backhanded compliment! (Sorry … blame it on the pain medication for a recent root canal!) Anyway, always loved those super-special secondary features DC came up with in the ’70s, and back then I was an especially big fan of the revived “Manhunter,” “Dr. Fate,” and “Whatever Happened To...?” Speaking of which, thanks for printing that “Danger Council” artwork on page 61. I’m surprised how many obscure DC heroes I was able to recognize, but the one that gave me the most pleasure was the guy in the star-and-moon-spangled green cape that was a character I’d never seen but only grew up reading about in one of the appendixes to Jeff Rovin’s invaluable (in those pre-Internet days) Encyclopedia of Superheroes: Astro. He only ever appeared in a single issue of House of Mystery (#140, I think) and was a guy living in a communist country who discovered a magic cloak and used its arcane powers to secretly fight the forces of tyranny. I’ve never been able to track him down anywhere, not in comic shops or comic shows or even on the Internet, so thanks for giving me a chance to finally see what he looked like! Tenth Anniversary Issue
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You know, I always loved the idea of having a magic cape ever since I was a little nipper, and at playtime I used to wear a Batman cape that my mom had made me for Halloween when I was four long after I outgrew it, and in my imagination that piece of blue cloth made me able to fly and repel bullets and turn invisible and, well, just about anything that any realistic version of the Caped Crusader couldn’t. There was an obscure, short-lived but wonderfully named Golden Age superhero called Captain Wizard, and if I had heard of him back then that’s what I probably would have called myself (heck, I probably would have tried to get my younger cousin Norman to play the part of his short, fat sidekick Baldy Bean, but I think back then he would have been perhaps somewhat reluctant to play along … and now that he’s a 50-year-old, 6'2" ex-biker with a beard down to his waist, I’m sure of it!). And speaking of obscure heroes, another fun “Prince Street News” comic strip from Karl Heitmueller—although, of course, like any rabid fan I found it somewhat less than funny when he turned his satiric scalpel to some of my favorite old characters with what I thought was undeserved savagery. I mean, come on, Super Turtle was as invulnerable as any Kryptonian, and there’s no way he could have been converted into a lady’s purse (maybe he’s undercover?), and I doubt that the boy billionaires of the Green Team would have grown up to be such ultra-conservatives (and I’m sure creator Joe Simon would never have had them attacking his other creations Prez and Brother Power the Geek … or was that the joke and I’m just too much of an overage fanboy to get it?). And what’s with the particularly nasty treatment toward Ultra the Multi-Alien? Sure, he’s probably one of the most bizarre superheroes ever created (at least until Grant Morrison came along…), but selling bits of himself in a butcher shop?!? Yes, I know he had a giant chicken leg on one side, but come on! I understand to many folks out there that him having a single ankle-winged drumstick being the reason he could fly seems pretty dumb (heck, him being able to even stand up Hulk and Wolverine TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. BACK ISSUE TM & © TwoMorrows. All Rights Reserved.
with the other leg being a lightning bolt is stretching credibility), but no one has ever really objected to Namor the Sub-Mariner over at Marvel being able to do the same with his little teenytiny winged ankles, so I figure we should at least give good old Ultra the same break and just enjoy his unique combination of old-fashioned goodhearted heroism and wonderful wacky weirdness. Anyway, enough with the ranting (my girlfriend says it does me good but prefers that I do it in the other room when she’s visiting…). BACK ISSUE #64 was another great issue, and I’m looking forward to the next issue as always. Have a good one! – Jeff Taylor Jeff, you’re right about Astro’s single appearance: The Grand Comic-Book Database (www.comics.org) verifies that he appeared in an 8-page (7 2/3-pages, actually) tale, “The Return of Astro,” in House of Mystery #140 (Jan. 1964). Howard Sherman was the artist, and this story has yet to be reprinted in the USA. That scalpel of Karl Heitmueller’s is always guided by a hand that loves the comics characters he slices into. He’s mostly skewered DC characters in his strip in these pages, but next issue Karl sets his sights on a certain television series starring Bill Bixby (no, it’s not The Magician!). Next issue: BACK ISSUE #70 drops the (gamma) bomb on the Bronze Age adventures of the Hulk—including in-depth spotlights of his 1970s and 1980s issues, and of TV’s The Incredible Hulk … with exclusive interview remarks from show creator KENNETH JOHNSON, a Hulk TV episode guide, and a “Prince Street News” look at the show (featuring a cameo by Richard Simmons)! Plus: Inside Hulk’s mind, Hulk’s role as a team player, the Hulk TV cartoon of 1982, Hulk merchandising, the Hulk newspaper strip, Teen Hulk, and a villain history of the Abomination! Exploring the work of SAL BUSCEMA, JOHN BYRNE, PETER DAVID, BILL MANTLO, AL MILGROM, ROGER STERN, HERB TRIMPE, LEN WEIN, and more. Featuring an all-new Hulk vs. Wolverine in Canada cover by TRIMPE and GERHARD. Don’t ask—just BI it. See you in sixty! Your friendly neighborhood Euryman, Michael Eury, editor-in-chief
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES BACK ISSUE is on the lookout for the following comics-related material from the 1970s through the 1990s: • • • • • • •
Unpublished artwork and covers Commissions (color or B&W) and professional-quality specialty drawings 1970s–1990s creator and convention photographs Character designs and model sheets Original art: covers and significant interior pages Little-seen fanzine material Other rarities
If you have any of the above materials, please query the editor via email prior to submission. Art contributors will be acknowledged in print and receive a complimentary copy of the issue.
Since BI is a full-color publication, preference is given to color artwork. Random convention sketches and “quick sketches” that do not reflect an artist’s best work and were not intended for print will no longer be considered for publication. BACK ISSUE does not read or consider unsolicited manuscripts. However, we routinely welcome new writers to our magazine, and have done so since day one! If you’re interested in writing for BI, please request a copy of the BACK ISSUE Writer’s Style Guide by emailing the editor at euryman@gmail.com. Contact BI at: Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, BACK ISSUE 118 Edgewood Ave. NE Concord, NC 28025
96 • BACK ISSUE • Tenth Anniversary Issue
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Prepay for two ads in Alter Ego, DRAW!, Back Issue, or any combination and save: TWO FULL-PAGE ADS: $500 ($100 savings) TWO HALF-PAGE ADS: $300 ($50 savings) TWO QUARTER-PAGE ADS: $175 ($25 savings) These rates are for black-&-white ads, supplied on-disk (TIF, EPS, or Quark Xpress files acceptable) or as cameraready art. Typesetting service available at 20% mark-up. Due to our already low ad rates, no agency discounts apply. Sorry, display ads not available for the Jack Kirby Collector. Send ad copy and check/money order (US funds), Visa, or Mastercard to: TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 Phone: 919/449-0344 • FAX 919/449-0327 E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com
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BACK ISSUE #70
KIRBY COLLECTOR #62
DRAW! #26
BRICKJOURNAL #26
BRICKJOURNAL #27
KIRBY AT DC! Kirby interview, MARK EVANIER and our other regular columnists, updated “X-Numbers” list of Kirby’s DC assignments (revealing some surprises), JERRY BOYD’s insights on Kirby’s DC work, a look at KEY 1970s EVENTS IN JACK’S LIFE AND CAREER, Challengers vs. the FF, pencil art galleries from FOREVER PEOPLE, OMAC, and THE DEMON, Kirby cover inked by MIKE ROYER, and more!
JOE JUSKO shows how he creates his amazing fantasy art, JAMAR NICHOLAS interviews artist JIMM RUGG (Street Angel, Afrodisiac, The P.L.A.I.N. Janes and Janes in Love, One Model Nation, and The Guild), new regular contributor JERRY ORDWAY on his behind-the-scenes working process, Comic Art Bootcamp with MIKE MANLEY and BRET BLEVINS, reviews of artist materials, and more! Mature readers only.
CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL with builders SEAN and STEPHANIE MAYO (known online as Siercon and Coral), other custom animal models from BrickJournal editor JOE MENO, LEGO DINOSAURS with WILL PUGH, plus more minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, AFOLs by cartoonist GREG HYLAND, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, and more!
GUY HIMBER takes you to the IRON BUILDER CONTEST, which showcases the top LEGO® builders in the world! Cover by LEGO magazine and comic artist PAUL LEE, amazing custom models by LINO MARTINS, TYLER CLITES, BRUCE LOWELL, COLE BLAQ and others, minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, AFOLs by GREG HYLAND, & more!
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BACK ISSUE #71
BACK ISSUE #72
BACK ISSUE #73
BACK ISSUE #74
“Incredible Hulk in the Bronze Age!” Looks into Hulk’s mind, his role as a team player, his TV show and cartoon, merchandising, Hulk newspaper strip, Teen Hulk, villain history of the Abomination, art and artifacts by SAL BUSCEMA, JOHN BYRNE, PETER DAVID, KENNETH JOHNSON, BILL MANTLO, AL MILGROM, EARL NOREM, ROGER STERN, HERB TRIMPE, LEN WEIN, new cover by TRIMPE and GERHARD!
“Tryouts, One-Shots, & One-Hit Wonders”! Marvel Premiere, Marvel Spotlight, Marvel Feature, Strange Tales, Showcase, First Issue Special, New Talent Showcase, DC’s Dick Tracy tabloid, Sherlock Holmes, Marvel’s Generic Comic Books, Bat-Squad, Crusader, & Swashbuckler, with BRUNNER, CARDY, COLAN, FRADON, GRELL, PLOOG, TRIMPE, and an ARTHUR ADAMS “Clea” cover!
“Robots” issue! Cyborg, Metal Men, Robotman, Red Tornado, Mister Atom, the Vision, Jocasta, Shogun Warriors, and Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot, plus the legacy of Brainiac! Featuring the riveting work of DARROW, GERBER, INFANTINO, PAUL KUPPERBERG, MILLER, MOENCH, PEREZ, SIMONSON, STATON, THOMAS, WOLFMAN, and more, behind a Metal Men cover by MICHAEL ALLRED.
“Batman’s Partners!” MIKE W. BARR and ALAN DAVIS on their Detective Comics, Batman and the Outsiders, Nightwing flies solo, Man-Bat history, Commissioner Gordon, the last days of World’s Finest, Bat-Mite, the Batmobile, plus Dark Knight’s girl Robin! Featuring work by APARO, BUSIEK, DITKO, KRAFT, MILGROM, MILLER, PÉREZ, WOLFMAN, and more, with a cover by ALAN DAVIS and MARK FARMER.
“Bronze Age Fantastic Four!” The animated FF, the FF radio show of 1975, Human Torch goes solo, Galactus villain history, FF Mego figures… and the Impossible Man! Exploring work by RICH BUCKLER, JOHN BUSCEMA, JOHN BYRNE, GERRY CONWAY, STEVE ENGLEHART, GEORGE PÉREZ, KEITH POLLARD, ROY THOMAS, LEN WEIN, MARV WOLFMAN, and more! Cover by KEITH POLLARD and JOE RUBINSTEIN.
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ALTER EGO #122
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ALTER EGO #126
Farewell salute to the COMICS BUYER’S GUIDE! TBG/CBG history and remembrances from ALAN LIGHT, MURRAY BISHOFF, MAGGIE THOMPSON, BRENT FRANKENHOFF, “final” CBG columns by MARK EVANIER, TONY ISABELLA, PETER DAVID, FRED HEMBECK, JOHN LUSTIG, classic art by DON NEWTON, MIKE VOSBURG, JACK KIRBY, MIKE NASSER, plus FCA, Mr. Monster, and more!
DENNY O’NEIL’s Silver Age career at Marvel, Charlton, and DC—aided and abetted by ADAMS, KALUTA, SEKOWSKY, LEE, GIORDANO, THOMAS, SCHWARTZ, APARO, BOYETTE, DILLIN, SWAN, DITKO, et al. Plus, we begin serializing AMY KISTE NYBERG’s groundbreaking book on the history of the Comics Code, FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America), Mr. Monster, BILL SCHELLY and more!
We spotlight HERB TRIMPE’s work on Hulk, Iron Man, S.H.I.E.L.D., Ghost Rider, Ant-Man, Silver Surfer, War of the Worlds, Ka-Zar, even Phantom Eagle, and featuring THE SEVERIN SIBLINGS, LEE, FRIEDRICH, THOMAS, GRAINGER, BUSCEMA, and others, plus more of AMY KISTE NYBERG’s Comics Code history, “Sea Monkeys and X-Ray Specs” on those nutty comic book ads, FCA, Mr. Monster, and more!
Golden Age “Air Wave” artist LEE HARRIS discussed by his son JONATHAN LEVEY to interviewer RICHARD J. ARNDT, with rarely-seen 1940s art treasures (including mysterious, never-published art of an alternate version of DC’s Tarantula)! Plus more of AMY KISTE NYBERG’s exposé on the Comics Code, artist SAL AMENDOLA tells the story of the Academy of Comic Book Arts, FCA, Mr. Monster, and more!
Second big issue on 3-D COMICS OF THE 1950s! KEN QUATTRO looks at the controversy involving JOE KUBERT, NORMAN MAURER, BILL GAINES, and AL FELDSTEIN! Plus more fabulous Captain 3-D by SIMON & KIRBY and MORT MESKIN— 3-D thrills from BOB POWELL, HOWARD NOSTRAND, JAY DISBROW and others— the career of Treasure Chest artist VEE QUINTAL, FCA, Mr. Monster, and more!
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95 • Ships Dec. 2013
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95 • Ships Feb. 2014
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95 • Ships April 2014
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95 • Ships May 2014
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95 • Ships June 2014
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