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plus—DAN BARRY!

Edited by ROY THOMAS The first and greatest “hero-zine”—ALL-NEW, focusing on GOLDEN AND SILVER AGE comics and creators with ARTICLES, INTERVIEWS, UNSEEN ART, P.C. Hamerlinck’s FCA [Fawcett Collectors of America], MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, BILL SCHELLY’S Comic Fandom Archive, and more!

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ALTER EGO #121

ALTER EGO #122

DIEDGITIIOTANSL E

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ALTER EGO #118

ALTER EGO #119

ALTER EGO #120

AVENGERS 50th ANNIVERSARY! WILL MURRAY on the group’s behind-thescenes origin, a look at its first decade with ROY THOMAS, STAN LEE, JACK KIRBY, THE BROTHERS BUSCEMA, TUSKA, ADAMS, COLAN, BUCKLER, ENGLEHART, MERRY MARVEL MARCHING SOCIETY, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY, FCA, Golden Age Blue Beetle artist E.C. STONER, unused Avengers cover by DON HECK!

MARC SWAYZE TRIBUTE ISSUE, spotlighting FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America)! Salutes from Fawcett alumnus C.C. BECK and OTTO BINDER, interview with wife JUNE SWAYZE, a full Phantom Eagle story from Wow Comics, plus interview with 1950s Dell/Western artist MEL KEEFER, MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, and a SWAYZE Marvel Family cover art from the 1940s!

X-MEN SALUTE! 1963-69 secrets, rare ‘60s BRAZILIAN X-MEN stories, lost ‘60s XMen “character sheet” by STAN LEE, ROY THOMAS on the 1970s revival, art and artifacts by KIRBY, ROTH, ADAMS, HECK, FRIEDRICH, and BUSCEMA—plus the MMMS fan club story, interview with Golden Age writer ED SILVERMAN, FCA, Mr. Monster, BILL SCHELLY, and JACK KIRBY’s unused X-Men #10 cover!

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ALTER EGO #123

ALTER EGO #124

ALTER EGO #125

GOLDEN AGE JUSTICE SOCIETY ISSUE! Features on JOHN B. WENTWORTH (Johnny Thunder), LEN SANSONE (The Atom), and BERNARD SACHS (All-Star Comics inker), art by CARMINE INFANTINO, BOB OKSNER, HOWARD PURCELL, STAN ASCHMEIER, BEN FLINTON, and H.G. PETER, plus FCA, Mr. Monster, and more! Cover homage by SHANE FOLEY to a vintage All-Star image by IRWIN HASEN!

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, M. THOMAS INGE on Communism and 1950s comic books, 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!

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ALTER EGO #126

ALTER EGO #127

ALTER EGO #128

ALTER EGO #129

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!

1940s WILL EISNER/”BUSY” ARNOLD letters between the creator of The Spirit and his Quality Comics partner, art and artifacts by FINE, CRANDALL, CUIDERA, CARDY, KOTZKY, BLUM, NORDLING, and others! Plus Golden Age MLJ artist JOHN BULTHIUS, more of AMY KISTE NYBERG’s History of the Comics Code, FCA, Mr. Monster, BILL SCHELLY, cover by DANIEL JAMES COX and JASON PAULOS!

CAROL L. TILLEY on Dr. Fredric Wertham’s falsification of his research in the 1950s, featuring art by EVERETT, SHUSTER, PETER, BECK, COSTANZA, WEBB, FELDSTEIN, WILLIAMSON, WOOD, BIRO, and BOB KANE! Plus AMY KISTE NYBERG on the evolution of the Comics Code, FCA, Mr. Monster, BILL SCHELLEY, and a new cover by JASON PAULOS and DANIEL JAMES COX!

Edgar Rice Burroughs adventure heroes in comics! With art by FOSTER, HOGARTH, MANNING, KANE, KUBERT, MORROW, GRELL, THORNE, WEISS, ANDERSON, KALUTA, AMENDOLA, BUSCEMA, MARSH, and YEATES—with analysis by foremost ERB experts! Plus, the 1970s ERB comics company that nearly was, FCA, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY, and more! Cover by TOM GRINDBERG!

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Vol. 3, No. 130 / January 2015 Editor

Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout

Christopher Day

Consulting Editor John Morrow

FCA Editor

Paul C. Hamerlinck J.T. Go (Assoc. Editor)

Comic Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert

Editorial Honor Roll

Jerry G. Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White Mike Friedrich

Proofreaders

Rob Smentek William J. Dowlding

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Contents

Cover Artist

C.C. Beck (colorist unknown)

With Special Thanks to: Heidi Amash Ger Apeldoorn Terrance Armstard Lois Barry Steven Barry Sy Barry Alberto Becattini Gail Beckett William Biggins Bill Black Gary F. Brown Chris Boyko Frank Brunner Rich Buckler Aaron Caplan Nick Caputo Shaun Clancy Ed Cox Brian Cremins Rich Donnelly Ramona Felmang Shane Foley Clay Fourrier Rod Fradkin Mike Friedrich Bob Fujitani Janet Gilbert Don Glut Chris Green Walt Grogan George Hagenauer Jostein Hansen Barbara Harmon Carolyn Hayes Tom Hegeman Bob Hyde M. Thomas Inge Sid Jacobson Doug (Gaff) Jones

Sharon Karibian David Anthony Kraft André LeBlanc Paul Leiffer Dominique Leonard Mark Lewis Arthur Lortie Jim Ludwig Michel Maillot George Mandel Jim McCaffrey Robert Menzies Brian K. Morris Will Murray Marc Tyler Nobleman Rick Norwood Amy Kiste Nyberg Barry Pearl John G. Pierce Gene Reed Ed Rhoades Steve Ringgenberg Trina Robbins Jan Sand Randy Sargent Dave Schreiner Vijah Shah Leonard Starr Brian D. Stoud Dann Thomas Gerry Turnbull Juan Urgano Hames Ware Len Wein Lindsey S. Wilkerson

This issue is dedicated to the memory of

Morris Weiss & Dan Barry

Writer/Editorial: Keeping The “Christmas” In Christmas . . . . 2 The Many Facets Of Dan Barry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Alberto Becattini begins an in-depth study of a controversial comic book/comic strip artist.

Seal Of Approval: History Of The Comics Code–Chapter 6 . . 29 Amy Kiste Nyberg relates how the Code evolved, beginning in 1955!

“I Want Kids To Grow Up Knowing Who Really Created Batman” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Marc Tyler Nobleman discusses his “children’s book” about writer Bill Finger.

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! Twice-Told Covers. . . . . . . . . . . 41 Michael T. Gilbert demonstrates that, if a cover’s worth using once, it’s worth using again!

Comic Fandom Archive: “Was I First In Remembering Comic Books?” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Bill Schelly showcases the late Jim Harmon’s reminiscences of his 1957 Peon column.

A Tribute To Morris Weiss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 re: [comments & corrections]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 FCA [Fawcett Collectors Of America] #190 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Paul C. Hamerlinck presents a super-length Yuletide “Yule-ogy” for some Fawcett greats— Beck, Binder, and Swayze—plus a colorful cache of vintage Fawcett Christmas art!

On Our Cover: Fawcett Publications’ various giant-sized Christmas comics were an institution for a number of years, as detailed in this issue’s likewise giant-sized FCA section—and one of the best covers in the lot was Charles Clarence Beck’s for Xmas Comics #2 (1942). We kinda wonder if C.C. told his Fawcett bosses how much he detested showing Captain Marvel and Santa Claus together—or at least he did in 1973, as you’ll also read this issue! And here you thought it was just a simple, harmless comic book cover! [Shazam hero, Bulletman, Spy Smasher, Mr. Scarlet, Ibis the Invincible TM & © DC Comics; other art © the respective copyright holders.]

Above: During his several years working for National/DC, the multi-talented Dan Barry drew a number of outstanding “Vigilante” stories, featuring that modern-day masked cowboy hero. One of his finest splash pages is this one from Action Comics #142 (March 1950), from a script attributed to Gardner F. Fox. Thanks to Alberto Becattini. [© DC Comics.]

Alter EgoTM is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: 32 Bluebird Trail, St. Matthews, SC 29135, USA. Fax: (803) 826-6501; e-mail: roydann@ntinet.com. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Eight-issue subscriptions: $67 US, $85 Canada, $104 elsewhere. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © Roy Thomas. Alter Ego is a TM of Roy & Dann Thomas. FCA is a TM of P.C. Hamerlinck. Printed in China. ISSN: 1932-6890 FIRST PRINTING.

writer/editorial

Keeping The “Christmas” In Christmas M erry Christmas!

Yes, okay—and also Happy Hanukkah, and Joyous Kwanzaa, and Mirthful Any-other-religious-orsecular day that any Alter Ego reader may be celebrating in December or January. But I’m here to say a few words about Christmas, in this Fawcett-Christmas-cover issue.

Be it said up front: I’m what you might call a “lapsed Lutheran.” Even so, I have fond and respectful memories of my eight years attending St. Paul Lutheran School in Jackson, Missouri… including of the religious instruction I received there, most particularly the study of the Bible, one of the great books of world literature. I consider it a tremendous loss to society that young people are growing up these days with no more knowledge of Biblical references than they have of Greek or Norse mythology. When I was growing up, I was taught to disparage the term “Xmas”—as in Fawcett’s Xmas Comics, one of whose covers graces this very issue of A/E—as being a diminution of the word “Christmas.” “Keep the ‘Christ’ in Christmas” was a common admonition. I believed that fervently as a kid… and, perhaps surprisingly, I still do. After all, the holiday (“holy day”) was named for an historical figure/religious concept, and substituting an “X” (the symbol in mathematics for an unknown quantity) seems an obfuscation, if not a downright insult. Sure, I know some folks claim that, historically, “X” stood for the cross which is the ultimate symbol of Christianity—and that may even be true—but as a reason for “Merry Xmas” salutations in department store windows and the like, I tend to be a scoffer. Most often, I suspect, the well-wisher, whether on a greeting card

or in an ad for a December sale—especially in today’s more secular and multi-cultural times—is simply trying to avoid “giving offense” to non-Christians. (Not that I’d presume to judge precisely what the Fawcetts had in mind with Xmas Comics. Never met them.) My own unabashed viewpoint is: anybody who’d take offense at being wished a “Merry Christmas”—especially in a message that isn’t even directed personally at him/her—is just too damn sensitive for his/her (or anybody else’s) own good. Hey, there are real evils to be concerned about, real wrongs to right, without going around looking for trendy excuses to feel put upon. (And if anyone wants to extrapolate from the above what I think of many of the other complaints leveled by the “political correctness” crowd… be my guest. You probably aren’t wrong.) So Happy Hanukkah and Joyous Kwanzaa and Exultant whatever to any Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Rosicrucian, pagan, or other out there who has reason to wax ecstatic over this time of year… or any other.

Dann and I will continue to send out “Season’s Greetings” cards, because a foolish consistency is the Green Goblin of little minds. But if you’re going to refer to Christmas, please have enough respect for the holiday’s roots not to spell it with an “X.” After all, it’s not the official birthday of Wolverine… or even Professor Xavier. Bestest,

P.S.: And, before you get to FCA and the treasures that sprawl between here and there, dig into the first part of Alberto Becattini’s study of comics artist Dan Barry. We’ve been waiting a long time to do this one!

# COMING IN FEBRUARY 131 GERRY CONWAY— TAKING COMICS BY STORM!

Marvel, DC, Warren, Et Al.—All Before Age 20!

• Cover montage by COLAN, KANE, MORROW, BUSCEMA, PLOOG, & ROMITA— framing a pulsatin’ portrait by SHANE FOLEY! • GERRY CONWAY talks to RICHARD ARNDT about his first half-decade in comics (and science-fiction)—from The Phantom Stranger to The Punisher and the (gulp!) Death of Gwen Stacy! Plus a note on GC’s SF by TED WHITE! Featuring art by our cover artists, plus: ANDRU • TRIMPE • SEKOWSKY • TUSKA • WINDSOR-SMITH • The SEVERIN Siblings • BORING • CHAYKIN, & OTHERS! • DAN BARRY—in the future with Flash Gordon, by ALBERTO BECATTINI! • The Comics Code in the 1960s and beyond, by AMY KISTE NYBERG! • FCA with Captain Marvel co-creator BILL PARKER & the DC-vs.-Fawcett lawsuit— MICHAEL T. GILBERT on the mysterious Man in Black—BILL SCHELLY on the fanzine Plague—& MORE!!

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The Many Facets Of DAN BARRY

Comic Books, Comic Strips—& A Controversial Genius by Alberto Becattini AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTION: Dan Barry has always been one of my favorite comic artists. As a young boy I was fascinated by his Flash Gordon, and only later on would I discover his beautiful comic book stories. This essay is the result of a 20-year-long extensive researching of the man and the artist, and it would not exist were it not for the many wonderful people who have aided me along the way. These include Barry’s children Steven and Lois, who helped a lot with family history and pictures; comics historians Bill Black, Shaun Clancy, Ed Cox, Ramona

Felmang, Jostein Hansen, Bob Hyde, David Anthony Kraft, Paul Leiffer, Arthur Lortie, Rick Norwood, Ed Rhoades, Steve Ringgenberg, Dave Schreiner, Brian D. Stroud, and Juan Urgano, who have contributed interviews and insights; and interviewees Sy Barry, Gail Beckett, Rich Buckler, Bob Fujitani, Carolyn Hayes, Sid Jacobson, André LeBlanc, George Mandel, Jan Sand, Larry T. Shaw, and Leonard Starr. And thanks to Roy Thomas, who made it happen....

Dan Barry—A Flashy Artist! A 1952 photo of Dan Barry in his studio at the Hotel des Artistes, illustrating Flash Gordon—flanked by some of his primo comic book and comic strip work: The “Vigilante” splash from Action Comics #149 (Oct. 1950). [© DC Comics.] The Dec. 18, 1983, Flash Gordon Sunday page. [© King Features Syndicate, Inc.] Except where otherwise noted, all art & photos accompanying this article were provided by Alberto Becattini.

Comic Books, Comic Strips—& A Controversial Genius

PART I: The Great Little Artist From New Jersey

Beginnings

aniel Louis Barry was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, on July 11, 1923, to Samuel (1892-1976) and Sarah Barry (18941978). His father was a painting contractor, bringing home about $40 a week, and supporting a big family. Dan was the fourth-born, his elder siblings being Tillie (b. 1918), Phillip (b. 1919), and Beatrice (b. 1920). The family grew even bigger during the following years with the births of Herman (b. 1926), Seymour (b. 1928), Raymond (b. 1929), and Enid (b. 1935). Dan’s son Steven has shed more light on the family background: My grandfather Samuel was a painter. Sarah raised eight children and liked to cook. I remember Sarah used a lot of garlic when she cooked. I remember meeting Sarah’s mother at age 95 when I was young. She was of Hungarian ancestry—I believe the last name was Menschik. My aunt Tillie was known as Chickie. Two of Raymond’s boys—Harvey and Ricky, both around my age (I believe Ricky is a little older and Harvey a little younger)—had artistic talents. I believe Ricky taught art and Harvey had a graphics company.1 The Great Depression struck, and there were times when Samuel’s business was really bad. Dan and elder brother Phillip had to be temporarily sent to an orphanage because Samuel could not support all the kids. In 1931 the Barrys moved to 2930 West 24th Street, at the tip end of Brooklyn, in Coney Island, and that is where Dan grew up.

Art School Barry studied at Straubenmuller Textile High School at 343 West 18th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City, where he became the editor of the school paper and drew his first cartoons. He left there while in the twelfth grade to pursue his dream: drawing comics. On account of his early talent, he had just won his first scholarship to attend an art school on Saturdays, the American Artists School in Greenwich Village. Founded in April 1936 and originally located at 131 West

Early Days (Above:) Dan Barry’s parents, Samuel and Sarah, 14th Street, the in a 1949 photo. [Courtesy of Steven Barry.] American Artists (Left:) A view of Straubenmuller Textile High School was a School, which Dan Barry attended from 1936-39. progressive independent art school among whose founders was William Gropper, the political cartoonist for the left-wing paper The Daily Worker. Barry’s instructors were Ralph Soyer and Osato Kuniyushi. They taught him the basics of drawing and painting. To pay for art school he would do odd jobs like shining shoes.

A Key Meeting In his teens, Barry would spend most of his free time in Coney Island, playing roller hockey in the street. There he met, among others, Joseph Heller and Cy Coleman (who would later become famous, respectively as a writer and a songwriter/jazz pianist). It was through Heller’s mentor, Daniel Rosoff, that Barry got into comics when he was eighteen. Rosoff recommended him to George Mandel, who had lived in the same neighborhood before becoming a successful comic book artist and moving nearby. As Mandel recalled: Dan was as fine a draftsman as Jack Kirby, which is to say the most, as Kirby was matchless but for Danny. Also note that, as a person, he was among the fairest, thoughtfully sensitive and agreeable. It was Daniel Rosoff, one of my closest friends, who recommended Dan to me. A very colorful guy (we were just 21, in time for war), he enjoyed upwardly influencing younger boys culturally and healthwise, himself a dedicated athlete and reader—of two books at a time, no joke.2

Our Crowd (Left:) Comic book artist (and later highly regarded novelist) George Mandel in a 1952 photo. Mandel was three years Barry’s senior when he took him on as his assistant in 1941. Mandel was interviewed by Jim Amash in A/E #103. (Center:) Joseph Heller (1923-1999), author of Catch-22, and (at right) Cy Coleman (1929-2004), lyricist for such Broadway hits as Sweet Charity, hung around Coney Island with Dan Barry as kids. These photos show them some years later.

At the time, Barry was a stagehand at the People’s Theatre Group, drama being one of his early interests. One day Mandel came over in his Cadillac and drove Barry to his studio. Barry took to going there regularly, observing Mandel at work. He would bring in his samples for Mandel to comment on and make suggestions. George’s elder brother, Alan, was

The Many Facets Of Dan Barry

Setting Up House— And Shop (Left:) Barry and wife Helene on their honeymoon at Totem Lodge, August 1942. [Photos courtesy Steven Barry.] (Above:) A 1937 mini-bio of Jack Binder (1902-1986), at whose comic shop Dan Barry worked during 1942.

also working at the studio, inking George’s drawings. Whereas Alan was usually critical of Dan’s work, George liked it, although he thought it needed some polishing.

The Binder Shop In Summer of 1941 Barry took a job as a lifeguard at Totem Lodge, a resort in upstate New York, also running the stage side of it. There he met Helene Marks, whom he would marry the following year. He earned $50 for the whole summer, dancing with the ladies every night, and at the same time continuing to draw samples in his workshop behind the stage. At the end of the summer he had enough samples to show George Mandel, who thought they were good enough for Dan to go around looking for some work. Among those to whom Barry showed his drawings were Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, who had a studio in the Tudor City building, between the end of 42nd Street and the East River. After a brief interview, they gave him one of Kirby’s pages to ink. Though Simon did not hire Barry, he was kind enough to give him the name of an editor at Fawcett Comics, who then sent him to Jack and Otto Binder, who were producing comic book stories in their studio (actually a factory in a barn) in Tenafly, New

Jersey. After a 2½-hour commute from Brooklyn, Barry worked at the Binder Shop (next to André LeBlanc, who would become a lifelong friend of his) for five months before being scolded and eventually fired by Jack. Barry was in fact producing—and earning—more than he was expected to, as he was sneaking pages home, even drawing them on the subway, instead of working exclusively at his drawing board at the studio. About that period, Sy Barry recalled: [M]y brother worked in a factory. It was actually on a farm. They worked in a barn. There were several artists. He and Lee Ames and André LeBlanc and Mort Meskin and several other young men. At that time they were in their late teens or early twenties and they were all in the same boat working in a factory. What they would do is that a smart guy would take stories from a publisher, take a whole book from a publisher, and instead of hiring an editor and have an established office, they would take on people who would be able to put a book together. Getting writers, artists, getting inkers and band them all together and produce books. Dan was only around 17 then himself. He’d left school when he was 16½ in his last year. He didn’t have money and was just feeling too despondent and decided to take his art and make some money with it. And that’s what he did. He began to work at one of these factories and then he began to get his own work.3

Let George (And Dan) Do It! (Left:) This “Doc Strange” story for Better/Standard Publications’ Thrilling Comics #23 (Dec. 1941) seems to be an early collaboration between George Mandel and Dan Barry. (Right:) “Young Robinhood,” by the same art team, from Lev Gleason Publications’ Boy Comics #4 (June 1942). Both writers unidentified. [© the respective copyright holders.]

Comic Books, Comic Strips—& A Controversial Genius

Horsing Around Art by Dan Barry from the one story he drew for Charlton Comics, in Black Fury #2 (July 1955). Inks by Sy Barry. [© the respective copyright holders.]

3 Sy Barry, interview with Brian D. Stroud, “The Silver Age Sage,” on www.wtv-zone.com/silverager/interviews/barry.shtml. [© 2015 Brian D. Stroud.] 4 Steven Barry, op. cit. 5 Dan Barry, interview with David Anthony Kraft, in Comics Interview no. 81, 1990. 6 Sy Barry, “Before the Phantom – Part 1,” in Lee Falks Fantomen – Sy Barry – Søndagseventyr 1964-1966. Translated by Jostein Hansen. 7 Bob Hyde, “Odyssey of a Tarzan Fanatic – Chapter XII,” in ERBzine Vol. 0691. [© 2015 Bob Hyde.] 8 Steven Barry, op. cit. Born in Florence, Italy, Alberto Becattini is a high school teacher of English who has been writing about comics, illustration, and animation for forty years. He has been a contributor to Italian Disney publications since 1992, and has also written for Alter Ego, Comic Book Artist, Comic Book Marketplace, and Walt’s People, among others. An indexer for the Grand Comics Database and the I.N.D.U.C.K.S. project, he has written books about Milton Caniff, Floyd Gottfredson, Bob Lubbers, Alex Raymond, Romano Scarpa, and Alex Toth. He also writes about his favorite authors and strips on his blog at http://alberto-s-pages.webnode.it/blog/. Alberto Becattini’s study of the life and career of Dan Barry will continue in our next issue.

The WHO’S WHO of American Comic Books 1928-1999 Online Edition Created by Jerry G. Bails FREE – online searchable database – FREE www.bailsprojects.com – No password required

Dan Barry illustrated this "Johnny Quick" story for Adventure Comics #144 (Sept. 1949)—and drew enough JQ figures for several! Script by Otto Binder. Thanks to Alberto Becattini. [© DC Comics.]

Dr. Amy Kiste Nyberg

A/E

Seal Of Approval: The History Of The Comics Code Beginning Chapter 6 Of Our Serialization Of The 1998 Study By AMY KISTE NYBERG

EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION: This time around, we only have room for part of one of the concluding chapters of Dr. Nyberg’s book on the history of comic book censorship. This segment covers the early days of the Comics Code Authority, illustrated by numerous examples of the Code’s revisions of comic art and writing that was submitted to them in the days soon after it went into effect at the end of 1954—on the heels of that year’s hearings of the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency, the publication of Dr. Fredric Wertham’s anticomics book Seduction of the Innocent, and the formation by most of the surviving publishers of the Comic Magazine Association of America. Once more: Seal of Approval is heavily “footnoted,” albeit in the MLA style which lists book, article, or author name, plus page numbers, between parentheses in the main text: e.g., “(Hart 154-156)” refers to pp. 154-156 of whichever work by an author or editor named Hart appears in the bibliography… which will be printed at the conclusion of our serialization, a few issues from now. When the parentheses contain only page numbers, it is because the other pertinent information is printed in the text preceding the note. In the main text, we’ve again retained usages from Nyberg’s book such as “superhero,” an uncapitalized “comics code,” “E.C.” and “DC,” etc. In the captions Ye Editor has added, however, we’ve reverted to A/E house preference. These captions, of course, do not necessarily

I Wanna Hold Your Hand Grenade (Above:) Another photo (which, alas, we cannot reproduce any larger from our source) of Judge Charles F. Murphy, first Comics Code administrator, at the early press conference in which, among other things, he showed alterations he had ordered made in the Joe Sinnott-drawn story “Sarah” for Timely/Atlas’ Uncanny Tales #29 (March 1955). See A/E #128 for another such pic. (Right:) The Comics Code Authority’s proscribed changes were, from first to last, something of a hit-and-miss affair. E.g., The grenade explosion in the final panel of this sequence from Charlton’s Soldier and Marine Comics #13 (April 1955) was approved by the Code during the first months of its existence, while other similar violence was often censored out of existence. Maybe this panel slipped through because the enemy combatant was killed only in silhouette? Artist and writer unidentified. Thanks to Jim Ludwig. [© the respective copyright holders.]

This sticker heralding the sale on Comics Code-approved magazines was sent out to retailers—complete with instructions on how to apply it.

reflect the opinion of Dr. Nyberg or of the University Press of Mississippi, the original publisher of the book—whose original edition can still be obtained from UPM at www.upress.sate.ms.us. Our thanks to Dr. M. Thomas Inge, under whose general editorship the volume was originally published in 1998 as part of its Studies in Popular Culture series, and who was instrumental in helping to arrange for its reprinting here. Thanks also to William Biggins and Vijah Shah, acquisitions editors past and present at the U. Press of Mississippi… and to Brian K. Morris for retyping the text on a Word document for Ye Editor to, well, edit. Chapter 5, in A/E #128, dealt with the adoption and earliest implementation of the 1954 Comics Code, under its so-called “comics czar,” Judge Charles F. Murphy….

“I Want Kids To Grow Up Knowing Who Really Created Batman”

MARC TYLER NOBLEMAN Talks About His Mission To Win Posthumous Fame For BILL FINGER

Interview Conducted & Transcribed by John G. Pierce

NTERVIEWER’S INTRO: Marc Tyler Nobleman is a man on a mission. He wants people, especially younger people, to know who really created Batman. He wants to bring to light the contributions of one Milton Finger, better known as Bill Finger, to those who might otherwise conclude that Batman was solely (or even principally) created by Bob Kane. Marc agreed to talk to me about his motivations and research (voluminous research, as it turned out) in writing his 2012 tribute to Finger, Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman (Charlesbridge, 2012), which was illustrated by Ty Templeton. JOHN G. PIERCE: First of all, what does this book add to our knowledge? MARC TYLER NOBLEMAN: We’ve all heard the saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” You also can’t judge it by its thickness! This is a picture book packed with a lot of previously unpublished information. Most of it is about Bill Finger as a man, not as a comics writer. It fleshes him out as a person.

There were key details which needed to be uncovered. Who was his family? How had he died? What happened after his passing? The book doesn’t end with Bill’s death; the last six pages of the story proper take place after his death. I knew that he was poor, but I didn’t know that he had died without an obituary, a funeral, or a gravestone. It was a heartbreaking end for the man who almost single-handedly created one of the top three or perhaps five fictional characters of all time. It was as if he just drifted off the face of the earth without a trace. JGP: So why did you write in this format? Why not a longer biography? NOBLEMAN: We’ve gone decades without a Bill Finger book. My feelings were 1) this is the area (i.e., children’s books) in which I’m most experienced; and 2) I wanted to work from the ground up. I want kids to grow up knowing who really created Batman. Too late to do [Bill Finger] any good, but I believe that justice has no expiration date. The truth shall set Bill free! [As a result of the book,] I’m regularly asked to speak at schools, conferences, etc. A highlight was the chance to present at San

A Finger In Every Plot While researching his book about Bill Finger, Marc Tyler Nobleman uncovered a number of previously unknown photos of Batman’s co-creator. This one shows Bill and his wife Portia at the beach, probably sometime in the 1940s. By then, “Batman” had already long since been developed by Finger and artist Bob Kane. Seen above are the first two panels Finger would have written featuring the new hero—the splash page (in which the “Bat-Man” is seen only in silhouette) and the first story panel in which he appears, both from Detective Comics #27 (May 1939). These panels are repro’d from the 1990 DC hardcover Batman Archives, Vol. 1. The past quarter-century has seen an explosion in the preservation of vintage comic book material in book form—and the end is nowhere in sight! [© DC Comics.]

Diego Comic-Con. I had two sessions; the first was very well attended, and the second (a panel with author Larry Tye) was standing-room only. Some of the people at the first appearance came back for the second. JGP: Can you give us any clues as to your research methods? NOBLEMAN: The book relays some of the methods used, some quite outlandish. I started with his first wife, Portia. She had died in 1990, but I located her last known address, in New York City. So

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!

Twice-Told Tower! And finally we have another TwiceTold cover, from Harvey’s rival, Tower, publisher of Wally Wood’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. Gil Kane drew the cover of the fourth issue of T.H.U.N.D.E.R.’s sister title, Undersea Agent. Kane also illustrated a remarkably similar unpublished alternate version. Why? Perhaps the published one made the hero look more heroic. Or perhaps the unpublished version was a commissioned cover re-creation that Kane decided to improve. Either way, it’s fascinating to note the subtle differences. And twice as much fun for fans of Twice-Told covers! ‘Till next time...

Gil‘s Gills! Gil Kane drew two slightly different versions of this “splashy” cover to Tower’s Undersea Agent #4 (Aug. 1966). The one on the left, of course, is the one that was colored and published. [© 2014 Tower Comics or successors in interest.]

Comic Fandom Archive

“Was I First In Remembering Comic Books?” A Posthumous Guest Column About The “Harmony” Article In Peon #38 (Feb. 1957) That Anticipated “All In Color For A Dime” by Jim Harmon

Introduction

n A/E #127, we re-presented Jim Harmon’s 1957 “Harmony” column, probably the first nostalgic/historic article ever written about the Golden Age of Comic Books. But we felt we ought to allow him to append his comments to it, and to address some of the factual errors of the type that inevitably appear in pioneering articles. We thank Jim’s wife Barbara for her kind permission to posthumously publish Jim’s article, which is copyright by her. Jim passed away in 2010 and had written this article specifically for Alter Ego and the “Comic Fandom Archive” a bit earlier. —Bill Schelly.

typewriter. Recently I had read another fanzine, title unrecalled, with an article by fellow fan Rick Sneary on his memories of the Flash Gordon Sunday comic strip. (In a few years I would meet and become good friends with Rick, a brilliant young man with a hunchback, reminding me of my radio hero, Peter Quill.) Other fans had mentioned Buck Rogers and Krazy Kat, but I could remember no one ever making more than the briefest of mentions of comic book magazines. I decided to write a whole article of maybe two thousand words on comic books. That should cover the subject once and for all.

n 1957, I was twenty-four years old and I had been a professional writer for five years, selling stories to Science Fiction Quarterly and Galaxy when I was nineteen. I had not given up writing for the amateur science fiction fanzines, and still haven’t after another fifty years. I did a regular column titled with a simple play on my own name, “Harmony,” for one called Peon, which was a play on the Navy rank of its editor, Charles Lee Riddle. (It was “PN” something. Can’t remember it all.) I didn’t spend much time waiting for divine inspiration, but I took a few minutes to look at the blank sheet of paper in my old, used Remington

A Peon Of Praise Fan Al Hunter’s cover for the science-fiction fanzine Peon #38 (Feb. 1957)—seen larger in A/E #127—in which Jim’s “Harmony” column was first published, flanked by: (Left:) Jim Harmon, in center, with fellow SF/movie fans Bob Burns on his right and Ron Haydock on his left… a photo taken in 1962 after a screening of some of friend Don Glut’s films at the CBS facilities in Los Angeles. (Right:) Jim on a convention panel, nearly half a century later.

It should not have been all that difficult for me to remember comic books, because I still had a lot of them, and still bought a few new ones. I did not admit I was still buying comic books. I thought the more intellectually inclined older SF fans would not be impressed. Of the older comics I still had, I had made a bad mistake as a child. I had traded my comics with other kids. That way, I got a lot of comics to read, but my older comics were always being replaced by newer ones. Some comics I loved so much I would never trade them off. I still had all my issues of All-Star Comics, and some other special issues. I had what I believed was the first Captain Marvel, called Captain Marvel Thrill Book, an oversize comic in

Louisiana Legend The MARC SWAYZE LPB-TV Interview Interview Transcribed & Edited by J.T. Go

FCA

EDITOR’S NOTE: From 1941-53, Marcus D. Swayze was a top artist for Fawcett Publications. While the very first “Mary Marvel” character sketches and stories came from Marc’s drawing table, he was originally hired by the publisher to produce “Captain Marvel” stories and covers featured in Captain Marvel Adventures and Whiz Comics. Marc also wrote several “Captain Marvel” stories while serving in the U.S. Army, where he also played guitar in jazz bands and performed twice with Bing Crosby while the popular singer was entertaining the troops. Upon his release from military duty in 1944, Marc made an arrangement with Fawcett to create art and stories for the company on a freelance basis from his home in Louisiana. It was there that he turned out both artwork and scripts for “The Phantom Eagle” in Wow Comics, in addition to drawing the Flyin’ Jenny newspaper strip created by his friend and early mentor Russell Keaton. After the cancellation of Wow, Marc provided story art for various Fawcett romance comics titles. After the demise of Fawcett’s comics department in 1953, Marc moved over to Charlton Publications where he finished a nearly 15year career in comics. As many of our longtime readers are aware, beginning in 1996, Marc wrote a highly venerated, ongoing column of his professional memoirs in our pages entitled, “We Didn’t Know… It Was the Golden Age!” until his death in 2012 at the age of 99. Marc was a big part of our family in the magazine and in our lives, and we will never forget him. Back in 1997, I was contacted by Louisiana Public Broadcasting to supply them with background information on Marc Swayze, who was to be interviewed by Gus Weill for an upcoming episode of their television series Louisiana Legends, which aired the following year. LPB’s Louisiana Legends program highlights outstanding Louisianans who have distinguished themselves in the world of art, writing, enter-

We Knew Marc Was A Legend Long Before 1997! (Above:) A TV screen shot of Marc Swayze being interviewed in 1997 for an episode of the Louisiana Public Broadcasting program Louisiana Legends, which was aired the following year. Photo by J.T. Go. [Louisiana Legends film capture is courtesy of Louisiana Public Broadcasting (www.lpb.org).] (Right:) Back in 1942, Marc drew the very first “Mary Marvel” sketches and the character’s earliest stories, as we’ve documented in many previous editions of FCA. Seen here is one of a series of paintings which the heroine’s co-creator made during the ’90s devoted to the World’s Mightiest Girl. [Shazam heroine TM & © DC Comics.]

tainment, politics, public service, and athletics. The show brings intimate looks into the lives of the state’s most influential, visionary, and successful citizens… and Marc Swayze is forever part of that respected group. I would like to extend a big thank-you to LPB Executive Producer Clay Fourrier for granting us permission to transcribe and publish Marc’s TV interview. The text is courtesy of Louisiana Public Broadcasting (www.lpb.org). —Paul C. Hamerlinck. GUS WEILL: When I was a boy growing up in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the ’40s, I wore a towel pinned around my neck… and I would stand on a fence, and before I would attempt to fly off of it I would shout “Shazam!” Of course, nothing ever happened, other than breaking my leg once. My guest today is Marc Swayze, one of the talented artists who drew the redsuited hero Captain Marvel and his alter ego, Billy Batson, who shouted “Shazam!” Marc, that Billy Batson sure had us captivated when we were kids, and we just loved it when he yelled “Shazam!”—a word that would become part of the American lexicon. MARC SWAYZE: That word came from Bill Parker, the original writer of Captain Marvel, Billy, and the whole idea. GW: Marc, you come from a very talented family—from your parents, to your wife, and down to your own children. How do you account for all that talent? SWAYZE: Well, that’s a difficult question. I had always thought that my parents could do anything in the world. My mother played some nice piano and organ, and my father taught himself the violin so that they could play together. My father was a steamboat captain and designer, builder, and pilot. It took talent for that, I’m sure. I’m proud of my folks. And my wife June and I have been blessed with talent in our own family along the way. GW: Quite remarkable and true! Marc, when did you begin drawing? SWAYZE: I think children must draw the things they

Louisiana Legend: The Marc Swayze LPB-TV Interview

were interested in when they were young. My first interest as I recall was horses, and my drawings that I saved from that time were all of horses… even though they didn’t look like horses! Later on, somebody read to me the story of Tarzan of the Apes, and then I became captivated with drawing apes. I think Edgar Rice Burroughs’ influence may have stayed with me for a while before one thing led to another. Then I started playing ball. I loved baseball and began drawing baseball players, football players, and other sports. GW: And you were a musician. SWAYZE: Well, yes. I majored in Music when I was at the Northeast Center of LSU. It was a two-year school and I got involved playing in a number of bands… local territory bands, y’know… and I’ve enjoyed a side career in music ever since. GW: How did you become a professional cartoonist? Living in Monroe, Louisiana, there sure weren’t any publishers here. How did it all begin? SWAYZE: Well, I graduated art school at Louisiana Tech and I got my BA at Louisiana Tech. I can’t blame it all on Louisiana Tech. I got my masters from NLU and I studied music at Northeast Center at LSU. So I guess I gained a conglomeration of education. Attempts at it, anyway. GW: And then the comic strip business. How did you get into that? SWAYZE: After my graduation I went back to my old job of delivering milk for my uncle’s dairy farm, and after a couple of months of it, I got a call from the art department director at Louisiana Tech. She informed me that a member of Tech’s faculty, Ms. Louise Smith, had a cousin who drew a comic strip and needed an assistant, and they thought I would be good for the position. So they passed on his contact information to me. His name was Russell Keaton and his home was in Carson, Mississippi, and his comic strip was Flyin’ Jenny with the Bell Syndicate. We corresponded briefly. He said, “Send samples!” I sent him samples and, in our last correspondence, he said, “Come in for an interview, but be prepared to stay.” And I stayed. GW: But Carson didn’t look as good as Monroe, huh? SWAYZE: Nothing did. GW: You are a true Monroe man! So you began to work with him on Flyin Jenny? SWAYZE: Yes. I was with Keaton for about a year and a half. He was a wonderful man and a lifelong friend. GW: And what came next? SWAYZE: Fawcett Publications in New York.

It’s A Marvelous Life (Left:) Our long-standing A/E-FCA colleague Marc Swayze was one of the key “Captain Marvel” artists at Fawcett during the character’s seminal years. Seen here is his cover for Whiz Comics #38 (Dec. 1942), an issue that also contained his story art for the Otto Binder-scripted “Captain Marvel and the Grand Steeplechase,” which allowed Marc the occasion to draw one of his early favorite subjects: horses. Photo courtesy of Judy Blackman Swayze. [Shazam hero & Spy Smasher TM & © DC Comics.]

GW: They were big.

(Above:) After making an arrangement with Fawcett Publications to create comic book art and stories for them on a freelance basis from Monroe, Louisiana, Marc moved back to his hometown, married his sweetheart, June, and the couple soon started a family. Here’s Marc back in the saddle again at his uncle’s dairy farm with Judy and Marc, Jr., the first two of the Swayze’s five children.

SWAYZE: Big! I was very impressed when I showed up at Fawcett. They had previously sent me some drawings of a red-suited character that I wasn’t familiar with—to see if I could match the style of it, y’know. And I wanted to make it in New York because that’s where I thought the career of every illustrator should be and, as a matter of fact, Keaton had stressed that to me. He said, “You belong in New York or Chicago… in the swim of things!” And I kind of liked the sound of that. So I sent these drawings in to Fawcett and, like Keaton had upon seeing my samples, they immediately offered me a job. They said, “If you can make it Friday, fine. We’re closed Saturday. But if not Friday, make it Monday… if you’re interested.” So Monday morning I was standing in Fawcett’s reception room gazing in amazement over the Hollywood-style layout they had there. The receptionist looked like she should’ve been cast as a leading lady in a Hollywood movie. I fell in love with her in a second… until she stood up: she was about a foot and a half taller than me. And that killed that! Fawcett occupied the 22nd and the 23rd, and part of the 24th floor of the Paramount Building right in Times Square, and that was impressive to me, too… to a country boy. GW: A country boy at Times Square. Not bad. SWAYZE: That’s right. GW: And you began… SWAYZE: Well, I was hired to draw “Captain Marvel.” That was my job. My first day I met the man who originated drawing

FCA [Fawcett Collectors Of America]

Merry Christmas Forever And Ever (Above:) Sweethearts ad infinitum, Marc and June Swayze model their ULM attire during a 1-20-2011 photo shoot at their home for the University of Louisiana at Monroe’s Office of Public Information. Marc was a ULM Class of ’36 alumnus. Photo by Terrance Armstard; special thanks to Lindsey S. Wilkerson. (Right:) We close with Marc’s eminent Captain Marvel Christmas cover for (Captain Marvel Adventures #19, Jan. 1943), signed and inscribed to the FCA editor on 6-1-05 by Marc. [Shazam heroes TM & © DC Comics.]

because I was an unknown. (I still am, but that’s all right!) So I walked back over to Fawcett and gave “Ibis the Invincible” back to Will Lieberson. “I’m sorry, Will. I’m going to make a deal with Bell, so I’m bringing home the Flyin’ Jenny Sunday page along with ‘The Phantom Eagle.’” GW: All drawn from here in Monroe, Louisiana. SWAYZE: Yes. As I left the Fawcett offices for the last time that day, Will asked me, “Why do you wanna go back to Louisiana?” and I said, “Because that’s my homeland.” GW: Did people in Monroe have any idea what you were doing? SWAYZE: Oh, no. I’ve never sought any attention in Monroe. There was a local news article or two about me, but I didn’t figure that people would care. GW: What do you think of today’s comic books? SWAYZE: I’m sure they’re different now and have had their ups and downs. I don’t know much about them because I’ve never read any comic books except for my own stuff. But the original “Captain Marvel” artist C.C. Beck and I used to talk a heck of a lot about these things. In his later years, Beck became editor of a fanzine called FCA—Fawcett Collectors of America—where they got into that subject, and Beck’s criticism was chiefly that there’s “too much of too much,” and all of us from back then shared the same theory. We were storytellers. We would quietly build up our stories before bringing in the excitement. But if you start your story out with mouths wide open and running teeth it will lose its effectiveness You don’t need to over-emphasize when emphasis is needed. Beck used to say that and I agree 100% with that philosophy. GW: What do you do now in your spare time and for relaxation? SWAYZE: Well, I play a little guitar and a little piano every morning. And every day I do some drawing. GW: You still draw? SWAYZE: Yes. I can draw better today than I ever could because

you continue to learn along the way. I guess that’s the point of it. GW: Was illustrating comics a personally satisfying career? SWAYZE: Man, that’s a good question. And I take great pleasure in answering it. It was tremendously satisfying. I can’t say that in respect to comics alone, because I never had a job I didn’t like. Even delivering milk and driving cattle. They were all joys to me. GW: You certainly did many different things. SWAYZE: You may say many different things, but over the period of time that I’ve been blessed to have, it really doesn’t come out to that many. But I’ve had lots of interests, and I’m thankful for those. GW: Did you enjoy reading? SWAYZE: When I was a youngster, my father used to read adventure stories to me. And he probably was the one who read the original Tarzan of the Apes story to me, or I might’ve been old enough to have read it myself. And, of course, you continue that. My brother, who was ten years older than I, used to subscribe to Boys’ Life and American Boy magazines, and I read those when I was a kid. I guess I read a lot in those days. But after I got to drawing all the time, my reading diminished because you need to rest your eyes. GW: Marc, it’s been a pleasure meeting you, and we appreciate you allowing us to come into your home here in Monroe and for all the memories you shared with us. You’re a fascinating man with a fascinating family who’ve all made contributions to our beloved state of Louisiana. I want to shake hands with you and I want to thank you, sir. SWAYZE: Well, thank you for those nice words, and may God bless you.

“Fairy Tales And Impossible Stories” C.C. Beck, Santa Claus, & “The Year Without A Christmas!” by Brian Cremins Edited by Paul C. Hamerlinck

hy was C.C. Beck so unhappy with “The Year without a Christmas!,” a story by Elliot S! Maggin with art by Kurt Schaffenberger, from DC’s Shazam! #11? What’s there not to like about a story wherein the Marvel Family meets Santa Claus and saves the holidays for kids all over the world? In his essay “How to Write (or Not Write) Comic Stories,” Beck explained: When I saw the Marvel Family talking to Santa Claus in Shazam! No. 11, I said to myself, “Why didn’t they bring in the tooth fairy and Cinderella’s godmother while they’re at it?” Perhaps they are saving them for future issues. I can hardly wait for the big Easter issue of Shazam! They’ll probably have Captain Marvel helping the Easter Bunny color eggs. Won’t that be thrilling? [FCA #73/Alter Ego #14, April 2002] After recently reading the Christmas tale from Shazam! #11 (issue dated March 1974; released Dec. 20, ’73)—in which the Sivana Family tries to destroy the holiday by speeding up time so that Christmas morning never arrives—I still wondered why Beck responded to it with such sarcasm. I know his experience working for DC was a low point in his career, but Maggin’s story is harmless enough, and there’s no faulting Schaffenberger’s impeccable compositions and pacing. However, as I read through my copies of Beck’s correspondence with his late 1980s debate group “The Critical Circle,” I discovered a passage that might explain

What? You’ll Believe A Man Can Fly—But Not Reindeer!? Author Brian Cremins is impressed with Kurt Schaffenberger’s well-designed and eye-pleasing rendering of the Christmas tale from Shazam! #11… but wonders if its writer Elliot Maggin might’ve been demanding too much from the readers. [© DC Comics.]

Charles Clarence Beck Captain Marvel’s original artist and co-creator chooses his weapon at Phil Seuling’s New York City Comic Convention in 1973—the same year that the battle began between the Shazam! artist and publisher DC Comics. “En garde, DC!”

Kurt Schaffenberger. Elliot S! Maggin.

Alter Ego #130