Chapter 9. Steve, First, the Faceless Ones, & the Fantasy Master

After the disastrous “DC Explosion,” Mike Gold left his publicity director post at DC Comics. He went on to establish First Comics with Ken F. Levin. First was based in Mike’s hometown of Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, and the publisher launched its initial run of books in 1983, with such titles as American Flagg by Howard Chaykin, Grimjack by John Ostrander and Tim Truman, Dreadstar by Jim Starlin, and Sable by Mike Grell. Also on their roster was Warp, a title based on a play!

The original production of Warp was performed by Chicago’s Organic Theater Company, opening there in 1971. Warp was actually a series of three full-length, interconnected plays, intended to be staged over three consecutive nights. To enjoy the full effect of the saga, theater-goers would have to attend all three productions, much like seeing all the chapters of a 1940s movie serial.

Co-authors Bury St. Edmund (Lenny Kleinfeld) and Stuart Gordon admitted that their entire science-fiction play was inspired by Marvel Comics, specifically the adventures of Thor and Doctor Strange. But, unable to obtain the licensing rights for any of the Marvel characters, they created their own.

The trilogy was promoted as “the world’s first science-fiction epic-adventure play in serial form.” It ran in Chicago for more than a year before its unsuccessful move to Broadway. Not only was it comic book-inspired, but the costumes and art direction were even designed by comic book great Neal Adams.

First Comics’ initial spin-off comic book of Warp #1, cover-dated March 1983, was scripted by Peter Gillis with art by Frank Brunner and Bob Smith. In the second issue, it was decided to run an original back-up series. Mike Gold recalled the choice.

“It was an easy decision,” he remembered in 2022, “since the original Warp play was inspired by the art of Steve Ditko. When we had the opportunity to work with Ditko himself on the Warp comic book, it was a no-brainer. It was as if we were closing a circle.”

“The Faceless Ones” was to run for three issues, Warp #2–4 [April–May 1983]. Since Mike knew of my working relationship with Steve, he asked me to write the series. I had seen the first segment of Warp performed during a Chicago Comic-Con, but I hadn’t seen the entire trilogy. Mike sent copies of all three Warp scripts and I read them furiously. It was an epic comic-book adventure and I visualized the whole thing being drawn by Steve, but the play itself was already being produced as the lead feature in the book. I was tasked with coming up with an original story based on the characters of the trilogy. Knowing that Steve was going to draw it made my task all the easier. I was planning to write to Steve’s strengths.

I first decided on a female protagonist. Some have said in print that Steve drew “ugly