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No.133 June 2015

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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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!

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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!

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!

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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!

CAPTAIN MARVEL headlines a Christmas FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) Fantasmagoria starring C.C. BECK, OTTO BINDER, MARC SWAYZE—and the FAWCETT FAMILY (presented by P.C. HAMERLINCK)! Plus: Comic book/strip star artist DAN BARRY profiled, MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, BILL SCHELLY on comics fandom history, and more! Cover by C.C. BECK!

GERRY CONWAY interviewed about his work as star Marvel/DC writer in the early ‘70s (from the creation of The Punisher to the death of Gwen Stacy) with art by ROMITA, COLAN, KANE, PLOOG, BUSCEMA, MORROW, TUSKA, ADAMS, SEKOWSKY, the SEVERINS, and others! Plus FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, BILL SCHELLY on comics fandom history, and more!

75 YEARS of THE FLASH and GREEN LANTERN (a crossover with BACK ISSUE #80)! INFANTINO, KANE, KUBERT, ELIAS, LAMPERT, HIBBARD, NODELL, HASEN, TOTH, REINMAN, SEKOWSKY, Golden Age JSA and Dr. Mid-Nite artist ARTHUR PEDDY’s stepson interviewed, FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, BILL SCHELLY on comics fandom history, and more!

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Vol. 3, No. 133 / June 2015 Editor

Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout

Christopher Day

Consulting Editor John Morrow

FCA Editor

P.C. Hamerlinck

Comic Crypt Editor

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Cover Artists Jim Mooney

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With Special Thanks to:

Jim Kealy Heidi Amash David Kirkpatrick Ger Apeldoorn Lee Laska Terry Austin Stan Lee Bob Bailey Jim Ludwig William Biggins Christopher Boyko Bruce Mason Doug Martin Robert Brown Dr. Jeff McLaughlin Bart Bush Brian K. Morris John Caputo Frank Motler Nick Caputo Mark Muller Shaun Clancy Will Murray ComicBookPlus Marc Tyler (website) ComicLink (website) Nobleman Dr. Amy Kiste Jon B. Cooke Nyberg Chet Cox Jake Oster Ray Cuthbert Barry Pearl Al Dellinges Robert Plunkett Michael Dunne Ken Quattro Mark Ellis Gene Reed Jean-Michel Bob Rivard Ferragatti Bernice SachsShane Foley Smoller Bob Fujitani Maggie Sansone Jeff Gelb Randy Sargent Janet Gilbert Vijah Shah Grand Comics Database (website) Darci Sharver Anthony Snyder Arnie Grieves Dann Thomas R.C. Harvey Herb Trimpe Heritage Comics Archives (website) Dr. Michael J. Vassallo Richard Howell Lynn Walker Alan Hutchinson Dr. M. Thomas Inge Rebecca Wentworth Eddy Zeno Marc Kardell

This issue is dedicated to the memory of

Jim Mooney

Contents Writer/Editorial: Sunny Jim. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 “I Never Really Considered Comics An Art Form” . . . . . . . . . 3 Golden/Silver/Bronze Age artist Jim Mooney interviewed by Dr. Jeff McLaughlin.

Seal Of Approval: History Of The Comics Code: Ch. 6 (cont’d) 49 From Dr. Amy Kiste Nyberg’s groundbreaking study—the aging of the CCA.

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! “Wertham Attacks!” . . . . . . . . . 55 Michael T. Gilbert takes a look at Wertham and the Code, pro & con, as seen in the 1950s.

Comic Fandom Archive: The RBCC Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Beginning Bill Schelly’s multi-part study of the foremost comics adzine of the 1960s.

re: [correspondence, comments, & corrections] . . . . . . . . . 68 FCA [Fawcett Collectors Of America] #192 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 P.C. Hamerlinck presents Fawcett/Captain Marvel’s Otto Binder & “The Fawcett Invasion of France” - Part II!

On Our Cover: While Jim (“Madman”) Mooney contributed memorably to Marvel Comics in the late 1960s & 1970s, he’ll probably forever be even more identified with the DC heroes he drew from the 1940s through the ’60s. Our crazyquilt cover is composed of commission drawings he did for Robert Plunkett (Supergirl and her animal buddies) and interviewer Dr. Jeff McLaughlin (Batman & Robin) and Eddy Zeno (The Legion of Super-Heroes), plus a penciled Tommy Tomorrow figure from a proposed revival in the mid-1980s, supplied by Mark Ellis. Jim was drawing, and drawing well, right up until he left us. Photo courtesy of Eddy Zeno. [All hero art TM & © DC Comics.] Above: One of the few times Jim Mooney drew Daredevil was when the Man without Fear sneaked past Spider-Man’s spider sense to clobber him (we forget just why—but hey, this was Marvel!) in Marvel Team-Up #25 (Sept. 1974). Script by Len Wein; inks by Frank Giacoia. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

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

Sunny Jim

never got to know Jim Mooney well… yet, somehow, he always made me feel I did know him.

to come upon… so we learned to appreciate it when we found it. And when that dependability was part of a package that included top-class talent, you hung onto that artist with both hands.

From the handful of occasions we encountered each other in person, the main thing I remember is his smile. It lit up a room, shining out in front of him like a beacon, making you feel good even as you spotted him coming toward you across a room or a convention hall. For instance, there were any number of wellwishers who came backstage at Carnegie Hall after Marvel’s soldout one-night stand there in January of 1972, but somehow the only one I remember who wasn’t also in the show is Jim. It wasn’t anything he said. He just made you feel good, being in his presence. You felt he wished you well, and you returned the feeling.

In some ways, I almost wish I didn’t know that, during his last few years, Jim confronted a number of health problems… his beloved wife Annie passed away… and original art that he’d sent to someone he trusted suddenly started turning up for sale on eBay. On March 30, 2008, Jim took his own life. Such an ending seems sadly out of tune with so much of what we know about the rest of his life… but then, the human condition is a lot more complicated than any of us can ever completely know.

Stan Lee, who counted Jim among his closest friends in the comics business, always had faith that Jim would deliver whatever was needed from him, and so did I. And John Romita knew he could depend on Jim as finishing artist to pull together an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, whether the penciler was himself or John Buscema. Jim was one of the Dependables—and I don’t say that in a patronizing way. In a hectic world such as comic books were back in the day, dependability was often one of the hardest things

Alter Ego carried a shorter interview with Jim, conducted by Christopher Boyko, back in issue #107. At that time, we also had on hand this issue’s longer one from Dr. Jeff McLaughlin, and we knew we’d publish it at a later time. That day has arrived, and we think you’ll enjoy an extended visit with one of comics’ nice guys—Jim Mooney. Bestest,

COMING IN JULY

134

A SPECIAL MULTI-PART TRIBUTE TO

SOL BRODSKY —UNSUNG HERO OF 1960s MARVEL COMICS! • Cover montage of SOL BRODSKY art & a powerful portrait by JOHN ROMITA! • “JOLLY SOLLY”—the artist who designed the Fantastic Four logo, inked F.F. #3 & 4, ramrodded Marvel’s production team in the ’60s—and helped launch Skywald and Marvel UK in the ’70s! Rare & rip-roarin’ art from F.F., Ant-Man, Iron Man, Sub-Mariner, Gunhawks, Kid Colt, Blue Beetle, Captain Aero, Red Cross, horror comics, Cracked Mazagine, et al.—and reminiscences by his Marvel-colorist daughter JANNA PARKER (aka JANICE COHEN) and by Marvel cohorts STAN LEE, JOHN ROMITA, HERB TRIMPE, STAN GOLDBERG, DAVID ANTHONY KRAFT, & ROY THOMAS!

rs, Inc.] [Art TM & © Marvel Characte

• Plus ALBERTO BECATTINI on DAN BARRY (continued at last)— AMY KISTE NYBERG on the Comics Code (probably)—FCA— COMIC CRYPT—BILL SCHELLY—& MORE!!

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“I Never Really Considered Comics An Art Form” Golden/Silver/Bronze Age Artist JIM MOONEY Talks About A Long & Landmark-Laden Career Interview Conducted & Transcribed by Dr. Jeff McLaughlin

“I Don’t Like Spiders And Bats…” But Jim Mooney, who’s flanked here by his art for two of the creepy costumed superheroes with whom he’s most identified, had no reason to warble those (slightly reworded) song lyrics. The splash page at left is from Batman #48 (Aug.-Sept. 1948), wherein he penciled all three stories (Charles Paris inked this one; scripter unidentified)—while the Spider-Man color illo was done circa 2006 for interviewer Dr. Jeff McLaughlin, and was inscribed by both Jim and Stan Lee. Photo courtesy of Mark Ellis. [Batman page TM & © DC Comics; Spider-Man TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Jim was a total pleasure to work with—a real pro. He was totally dependable as far as deadlines were concerned, and although he had a great sense of humor and loved to kid around, he took his work seriously and never gave any assignment anything but his best effort. If the world consisted of people like Jim Mooney, it would be a much happier place. —Stan Lee.

When I began working for Marvel, I lumped Jim in with the rest of the giants in the bullpen who worked for them. It was a friendly but intimidating environment in the bullpen in those days surrounded by all that talent, and Jim being strictly a freelancer, his visits were not frequent. I was impressed with his style and can easily picture his work in my mind. —Herb Trimpe. Working with Jim was always memorable and always a joy. He never disappointed… he always gave more than I envisioned with a script. Jim Mooney was one of the two finest men I’ve ever met in my life. He more than justified his existence. I hope I can say the same about myself. —Mark Ellis.

I remember how delighted Stan Lee was when Jim came over to help us out with Spider-Man. Besides which, Jim seemed about as amiable an artist as ever I met. But I’ll confess, my main thought about Jim is that I consider him my “good luck piece,” so to speak. In 1965 I was [at DC Comics] proofreading a “Supergirl” story he had drawn when I received the surreptitious phone call from secretary Flo Steinberg that Stan Lee would like to see me. Right after that lunchtime I came back to DC’s office and handed in my resignation. Jim’s “Supergirl” was the last page of art I saw as a DC employee for 15 years. And it was always a pleasure to look at. —Roy Thomas. I was a fan of Jim’s since the “Supergirl” stories of the 1960s, and it was both an honor and a pleasure to work with him. We struck up a friendship which lasted for almost 25 years. Jim Mooney was many things: a superb comic book artist; a fine storyteller; an accomplished painter; a connoisseur of antiques, theatre, movies, and music; and a true gentleman. I expect that I’m not the only editor, or penciler, or collaborator who has a batter of “Jim Mooney saved my bacon” stories, but it’s worth reiterating that Jim’s output was not only miraculous in its turnaround, but it was expert, individualistic, and stylish—just like Jim himself. —Richard Howell.

Golden/Silver/Bronze Age Artist Jim Mooney Talks About A Long & Landmark-Laden Career

NTERVIEWER’S INTRODUCTION: Jim Mooney passed away March 30, 2008, as I was editing the following interview, which we had conducted over the phone during the previous month, while I was in Austria and he was in his home in Florida. I had met Jim at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2006 and had wound up spending most of my time just sitting with him and other legendary writers and artists as they told me story after story. It was one of the most enjoyable weekends I have ever had. And, as I write this introduction, it is one of the saddest moments, as I miss Jim a great deal even though I only knew him for a couple of years. We chatted at least once a month, sometimes once a week. His grace, his humor, his honesty, and his decency, not to mention his sincere interest in others, made him a dear friend. Little did I imagine, as a kid reading comics, that I would have the honor of becoming a friend of the artist who drew so many of my favorites. Jim had been married twice and had three children: Bruce (deceased), Jimmy, and Noel. He also had seven cats (none of whom was named Streaky). In our conversations, I never asked him how he got the moniker “Gentleman Jim,” because I immediately knew the answer the first time I met him…. It is a cliché, yes, but I am truly a richer man for knowing him. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did. It took place in February 2008. A few of my remarks have been interpolated in italics. —Dr. Jeff McLaughlin.

“The First Job I Got [In] New York Was A Strip Called ‘The Moth’”

Jim Mooney’s long comic book career spanned every age. It began when he did his first seven pages of pencils and inks back in early 1940 for publisher Victor Fox with Mystery Men Comics #9, introducing a character called The Moth. Fox was threatened with a lawsuit by DC Comics over that story, yet Jim would eventually be hired by DC because of it. But that is getting ahead of our story….

When a young Jim Mooney was riding his horse on one of his family’s three estates, it is unlikely that he was thinking about how so many people around the world would become familiar with his comic book art. Born into privilege on August 13th, 1919, in Mount Vernon, New York, James Noel Mooney would find that this wealthy lifestyle was not to last. Although his father had made millions in real estate and when they traveled they stayed at the finest hotels in the world, James Mooney, Sr., would over-extend himself by investing in Arabian horses at a time when the world was about to enter the Great Depression. Going from having servants to having almost nothing must have been a great challenge for the family. However, Jim’s mother Irene had her feet firmly planted on the ground. Even though she had not finished grammar school, she had done a little investing of her own and was able to buy a house to make the family moderately comfortable. While Jim’s father continued to struggle, his uncle Ed, who owned the Hartford Dispatch and Warehouse Company, was responsible for getting Jim into a Los Angeles art school. Jim did not want to finish high school because he didn’t want to “hang around for a lousy diploma” in something he wasn’t keen on and so jumped at his uncle’s offer. Jim loved art school. He especially loved the sketching class, because the models were nude. When he brought his work home to show his parents, they probably wondered what they had allowed their son to get into, but he took a real liking to painting (especially watercolor) and to stained glass. It wasn’t long before his vast artistic talents would be shown off….

JIM MOONEY: [Science-fiction and comic writer] Henry Kuttner was instrumental in getting me my first job while I was still going to art school. He got me my first assignment in the national magazine Weird Tales. He talked to [editor] Farnsworth Wright and he said, “I’ve got a young man here and he’s very good—would you go along if I had him illustrate some of my stories?” So I illus-

Race Into Space Young Mooney’s cover for a mimeographed science-fiction fanzine dated Dec. 1939—featuring a spaceship from that future year 1940. The “Ackerman” listed as co-editor was Forrest J. Ackerman, founding editor in 1958 of the influential Warren magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland. [© the respective copyright holders.]

trated some of Henry’s stories which appeared in Weird Tales at a time when I was still going to art school. [A/E EDITOR’S NOTE: A photo of young Kuttner was seen in A/E #107.]

There seemed to be a touch of glamor in the Mooney family, no matter what their financial situation. Jim’s older sister (by eight years) Julie was a very beautiful New York stage actress and had signed a contract with MGM. Subsequently, the family would relocate with her to Hollywood, California. Although Julie tried to get Jim involved in the movie business, where she found herself in small roles (including much later on in the film adaptation of Abraham Merritt’s Burn Witch Burn!), he discovered quickly that they didn’t need any more Dead-End Kids. So Jim began working at Earl Carroll’s Vanities.

Earl Carroll was famous (or infamous) for having the most beautiful and the most scantily dressed women on stage. Jim’s vocal talents led him straight from a brief appearance on stage to becoming a checkroom attendant. I asked him if he ever got to meet Earl Carroll.... MOONEY: Oh yeah, a couple of times. I showed him some of my stuff. He was interested. I was doing a little bit of sculpture and drawing at the time, and he was really quite nice. He was a very aloof person, but he was very encouraging, and, of course, his sweetheart was Beryl Wallace. They died together in a plane crash years later.

“I Never Really Considered Comics An Art Form”

of course, was Hal Foster, who did Prince Valiant. Hal Foster was magnificent. He’s probably the best draftsman in comics. I wasn’t so much into Prince Valiant for the story as I was for the drawing.

Jim recalls seeing “Batman” on the newsstands, so he hitchhiked across the country back to New York, because that’s where the comic books were coming from and he thought they might provide him with an employment opportunity.

All Is Vanities Showman Earl Carroll, plus a poster for the 1945 movie version of his Broadway revue Earl Carroll Vanities. Carroll’s show was the main competitors of the even more famous Ziegfield Follies.

JM: I’ve read that in his auditions the women had to be in the nude.

MOONEY: Oh yeah, yeah. He went to bed with every girl he could find. You know, it’s funny—I remember one of the parties we went to, when my first wife Carol was working in the checkroom [circa 1939].... Actually, Earl Carroll was very personable, very tall, slender, and spoke well and was a person who projected himself as being what he was—which was a very confident gentleman.

JM: Did you bring Carol with you?

MOONEY: Oh no…no…no. I took off by myself ’cause I could. She wouldn’t have. I wouldn’t have expected her to do that. I sent for her six or eight months later, once I finally gained a little bit of employment. It wasn’t easy. The first job I got when I went to New York was for a strip called “The Moth.” JM: Mystery Men Comics #9, April 1940.

MOONEY: And then they were sued by DC for that because they claimed I was copying “Batman and Robin.” JM: Yeah, which apparently you were.

JM: And how beautiful were the girls?

MOONEY: Oh, none of them was working there if they weren’t beautiful and didn’t have a good figure. The showgirls were a certain height, the chorus girls were a certain height, and they were all pretty girls, every darn one of ’em. You know, I used to love to get an assignment where I had to go backstage and bring a message. I remember one time when Errol Flynn came up. He went into the ladies’ room and he was raising hell and they finally had to toss him out. I didn’t have the physical stature to stand up to Errol Flynn nor did I have any inclination…. Clark Gable was there. I met Clark Gable at the studio through my sister one time. He said “Hi” and shook my hand. I thought “Wow, this is real celebrity!” He was personable. I don’t know how he was otherwise, but he was nice enough to take and treat a kid brother who didn’t amount to a row of beans as if, you know, you had some reason for being. JM: So you were working at Earl Carroll’s while you were at art school. And then you quit there, right?

MOONEY: I quit there because my first wife Carol and I were having a fling. We were close but we were warned: Don’t see each other. Don’t make it apparent that we were together. And this was from Earl Carroll himself. And we, like a couple of damn fool kids, just said, “Well, we’re gonna do what we want!” And you know, he did what he wanted and he said we were fired. [laughs] So we lived on our unemployment insurance for a while.

Comic books were becoming popular, so Jim thought perhaps this might be an opportunity for his artistic side. Like every other kid, he read some of the newspaper comic strips, and Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon was one of his favorites.

MOONEY: Alex Raymond was really a very good draftsman. He really knew how to draw. I thought it was pretty professional. Although Milton Caniff was a very much-loved artist, Caniff did not draw as well or as accurately as Alex Raymond. Another one,

Magno Mistake About It! For Ace Periodicals, Mooney drew the adventures of “Magno the Magnetic Man” and his teenage sidekick Davey. Seen above is the splash page for Super-Mystery Comics, Vol. 2, #4 (Oct. 1941). The German-accented prisoners are seen in a Canadian POW camp because, in mid-’41 when this story was published, Canada, like the rest of the British Empire, was at war with Nazi Germany—but the United States was not, at least not officially. Writer unknown. [© the respective copyright holders.]

Golden/Silver/Bronze Age Artist Jim Mooney Talks About A Long & Landmark-Laden Career

JIM MOONEY Checklist

[This Checklist is adapted from information found in the online edition of The Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928-1999. Names of features that appeared both in comic books with that title and in other magazines, as well, are generally not italicized. Key: (w) = writer; (p) = pencils; (i) = inks.] Name: James Noel (Jim) Mooney (1919-2008) artist

Pen Names: Jay Noel (used for inking); (with others) M. Hands

Education: Grand Central School [Harvey Dunn]; Los Angeles Art Institute Family in Arts: Ed Jurist (brother-in-law)

Print Media: Artist: science-fiction fanzines 1937; juvenile books 1958-83; coloring books 1983; magazines 1936-45; Weird Tales 193641; Young Catholic Messenger 1942-45; magazines Adam (dates uncertain), Stag (dates uncertain but incl. 1970s-80s)

Comic Shops/Studios: S.M. Iger (p)(i) circa 1939-40; Sangor Studio (p)(i) c. 1942-43

Performing Arts: Studio owner (advertising, cartooning, TV spots, animation) 1953-63 Commercial Art & Design: Toys

Honors: Inkpot Award (San Diego Comic-Con) 1996; Presidential Citation (for Spider-Man premium about drug abuse) (date uncertain)

Comics in Other Media: “Life of Columbus” (p)(i) in Young Catholic Messenger 1942-c. 1943; “Pussycat” (p)(i) 1970s-80s; Fun House; Popular Jokes; Spider-Man (p)(i) in Electric Company Magazine Promotional Comics: Spider-Man (p) for National Commission for Prevention of Child Abuse 1984; Spider-Man and Hulk (i) for Chicago Tribute Supplement 1980 COMIC BOOK CREDITS (U.S. Mainstream Publications):

Ace Periodicals: Captain Courageous (p)(i) 1941; The Flag (p)(i) 1941; Flash (a.k.a. Lash) Lightning (p)(i) 1940-42; Magno (p)(i) 1940-42; The Raven (p)(i) 1941-42; The Unknown Soldier (p)(i) 1940s; Vulcan (p)(i) c. 1941

Atlas/Seaboard Comics: The Dragon (i) 1975; Hands of the Dragon (i) 1975; The Scorpion (i) 1975

It’s A Blast! While not specializing in humor work in his later career except for “Pussycat,” Jim Mooney had work in the first two issues of G&D Publishing’s Mad-style magazine Blast! #1 in 1971. Thanks to Jim Ludwig for this double-page spread from #1. Scripter uncertain. [© the respective copyright holders.]

“I Never Really Considered Comics An Art Form”

Lashing Out! Another Mooney splash panel of “Lash Lightning” (after he’d changed his name from “Flash L.”)—this one from Lightning Comics, Vol. 2, #6 (April 1942). Thanks to Jim Kealy. [© the respective copyright holders.]

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

Artist Jim Mooney and writer Robert Turner co-created “Wildfire,” here seen from the splash panel in Quality’s Smash Comics #29 (Dec. 1941). Thanks to ComicBookPlus. [© the respective copyright holders.]

Call Of The “Wildfire” The splash page from the Jim Mooney-drawn, Robert Turner-written feature “Wildfire” from Quality’s Smash Comics #28 (Nov. 1941)—decades before there was a male of that appellation in DC’s “Legion of Super-Heroes.” With thanks to the invaluable ComicBookPlus website. [© the respective copyright holders.]

Continuing Chapter 6 Of Our Serialization Of Amy K. Nyberg’s 1998 Study

Chapter 6 (Continued)—Evolution Of The Comics Code

y the CMAA’s fifth year of operation, there were signs the industry was recovering. [President John] Goldwater reported to CMAA members that circulation of comics was approximately six hundred million annually, and while it was true that a number of companies had not survived, the overall circulation of the comic book industry had increased by almost 150 million annually. He urged members to experiment with new types of material and new approaches to material while maintaining high standards (CMAA Files [Address of the President, 14 Apr. 1959]). While funny animal, teen, and romance comics performed adequately on the newsstands, the publishers were in search of a genre that would appeal to the baby-boom youngsters who were now teenagers. Their “experiment” would be to resurrect the genre that started the industry, that of the superhero. National Comics [DC] led the way with the reintroduction of a 1940s character, the Flash. He made his debut in Showcase #4, cover-dated October 1956. His success was to launch a revival of the genre, and comic book historians use the reappearance of the Flash in 1956 as a marker to indicate the start of the Silver Age of comic books (Benton, Comic Book 177). Archie Comics hired Jack Kirby and Joe Simon to revive their 1940s superhero, the Shield, but the revival lasted only two issues. Next, they tried an original character, the Fly, who had insect-like powers (Benton, Comic Book 59). As DC revived more of its 1940s heroes, it decided to put them all together in the Justice League of America with an issue coverdated October 1960. It was tremendously popular. Martin Goodman at Marvel, seeking to capitalize on the superhero team concept that had been successful at DC, gave writer Stan Lee the go-ahead to develop a team for Marvel. Lee’s answer was The Fantastic Four (November 1961). The team consisted of a scientist who could stretch, a teenager who burst into flame, an invisible girl, and a monstrously ugly strongman. The team also represented a departure from the traditional superhero formula; instead of

being perfect and god-like, these four behaved “more like human beings who happened to be superheroes than heroes who happened to be human” (Benton, Comic Book 63).

This new approach to superheroes would eventually pay off for Marvel. By 1965, every other comic book publisher was rushing to introduce its version of new-and-improved superhero characters. And the success of the campy Batman television series in 1966 created a new superhero craze. Sales of all comic books rose as a result, and the Batman comic book reached an all-time high of 900,000 copies, the best performance by a comic since the pre-code days. It was the revitalization of the superhero comic that lent impetus to making revisions in the comics code. The new breed of superheroes, with their human problems, were creatures of the 1960s, a decade very different from that of the Golden Age superheroes of the 1940s. The social upheaval of the 1960s, with its liberalization of attitudes toward sex and the rise of a drug culture, led publishers to push for a code that adhered to more contemporary standards. But the first comic books to escape the constraints of the comics code came from outside the industry in the form of underground comics. These comics were the product of the counterculture that flourished in America in the late 1960s and early 1970s. At first, underground comic books were available only by mail order or directly from the artist, but eventually a network of retail outlets, including alternative record stores and bookstores, along with socalled head shops, was created for distribution. Historian Mark Estren identifies the first underground comic book as God Nose, produced by Jack Jackson under the name Jaxon, which appeared in 1963. It was not until 1967 that underground comics began to emerge as a unique medium. A whole new alternative comics culture was established, with its peak years coming between 1968 and 1974 (Estren 45, 50; Sabin 41).

Two Faces Are Better Than One In A/E #105’s “Tales from the Code” coverage, we displayed the panels in “The New Crimes of Two-Face!” from Batman #68 (Dec. ’51-Jan. ’52) in which the acid-hurling that led actor Paul Sloane to become the second Two-Face was softened for reprinting in Batman Annual #3 (Summer 1962). Here, from left to right, are pre- and post-Code versions of the aftermath of that criminal assault—which the Code had forced DC to alter into merely a freakish accident. Script by Bill Finger; pencils by Lew Sayre Schwartz (with Batman and Robin figures by Bob Kane); inks by Charles Paris. Thanks to Gene Reed. [TM & © DC Comics.]

Seal of Approval: The History Of The Comics Code

Three That Made A Decade A trio of the most important comic book-related events between mid-1956 and early 1966: Showcase #4 (Sept.-Oct. 1956), on sale in July of that year, introduced an updated version of DC’s shelved hero “The Flash.” Cover penciled by Carmine Infantino, inked by Joe Kubert; the stories inside were scripted by Robert Kanigher and John Broome, with editing by Julius Schwartz. [TM & © DC Comics.] The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961), from what remained of Martin Goodman’s Timely Comics, was the first mag of what would, by 1963, become the Marvel Comics Group. Pencils by Jack Kirby; inks probably by George Klein. The writer and editor of the issue was Stan Lee. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.] The “campy” Batman TV series became a smash hit when it debuted in January 1966, starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin. [Batman & Robin TM & © DC Comics; still © the respective copyright holders.]

Underground comics (sometimes spelled “comix” to distinguish them from their more mainstream counterparts) dealt with taboo subjects of interest to the counterculture, specifically sex and drugs. Most contained a liberal dose of graphic violence as well. Estren notes: “The comics of the forties and early fifties were very often cast in a cops-and-robbers format, while the violence in the underground comics is more likely to cut across all strata of society and to be completely pointless—an accurate reflection of present-day America” (146). The quality of drawing ranged from amateurish to polished and utilized a variety of artistic styles. Underground comics never completely died out, but they decreased in popularity after the decline of the counterculture. Also contributing to the decline of underground comics were increasing production costs in the 1970s, a wave of obscenity prosecutions, and the closing of head shops under new anti-drug paraphernalia laws (Sabin 174). It was not the intention of the underground comics producers to compete with mainstream publishers for their audience. Rather, the underground artists, who grew up with comic books, found comic books to be the perfect medium to express their defiance of social norms. What better way to demonstrate their disdain of conservative taste than to pervert what the public perceived as children’s entertainment? The underground comics represented no real challenge to the comic book industry, however. The limited circulation of underground comics posed no economic threat and also meant that there would be no public confusion about the mainstream product and the comics offered by the underground artists. Despite their relatively short lifespan, underground comics were important to the mainstream comic book industry in three ways. First, they demonstrated that there was a market for adult comics. Second, the retail network developed for distribution was an important

Hey, Adults—Comix! Jack Jackson, aka “Jaxon.”

The cover of the premier issue of reputedly the first of the “underground comix”—God Nose, which the Grand Comics Database lists as debuting in 1964 rather than ’63 as related in Nyberg’s text. [© Estate of Jack Jackson.]

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!

Revenge Of The Comic Guys!

by Michael T. Gilbert

omic book creators must have felt like Custer at Little Big Horn as Dr. Wertham and other comic critics savaged them in the media. Some fought back the only way they knew— with humor. For a while it was open season on Wertham and his fellow critics. Al Capp got his licks in, as did Marvel head honcho Stan Lee. And then there was Myron Fass.

Myron Fass’s short-lived Mad knock-off, Lunatickle, took broad swipes at both the good doctor and his arch-foe, EC Comics. Issue #2’s “The Horrible Comic Story behind the Horror Story Comic Books,” featured unflattering parodies of Fass’ competitor Bill Gaines (Sam Grisly) and Dr. Wertham (Dr. Frederick Von Werthless). Werthless, it was said, was inclined to offer his “unbiased and unasked for opinion.” The story blamed EC for the excesses that led to the Code. Ironically, the story’s artist, Lee Elias, drew some of the most excessively gruesome pre-Code horror comics for EC’s rival, Harvey Comics.

Piling On! (Above:) “Dr. Werthless” stars on this page from Myron Fass’ Lunatickle #2 (April 1956). Art by Lee Elias. Writer unknown (see p. 58). [© the respective copyright holders.] (Left:) Stan Lee’s story “The Witch in the Woods” from Menace #7 (Sept. 1953) depicts an editor’s worst nightmare ––comic-hating parents! Art by Joe Sinnott. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.] (Right:) In “The Raving Lunatic!” from Suspense #29 (March 1953), editor Stan gives a piece of his mind to another angry comic book critic. Art by Joe Maneely. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Revenge Of The Comic Guys!

Capp Attack! When defending horror comics, a popular tack was to compare them to the even more gruesome classics by Edgar Allan Poe and the Brothers Grimm–– not to mention true horror tales taken from newspaper headlines. Al Capp (and his studio) drew this for Harvey’s Li’l Abner Comics, Vol. 2, #68 (Jan. 1949). It actually defends comic strips, not comic books—but Capp also defended the latter, in other venues. [© Al Capp Estate.]

The RBCC Story Beginning A Multi-Part Tribute To G.B. LOVE & Rocket’s Blast-Comicollector Excerpted from the 1995 book The Golden Age of Comic Fandom by Bill Schelly

UTHOR’S INTRODUCTION (2015): Comic fandom has a lot of reasons to commemorate the late Gordon Belljohn Love, publisher and editor of the advertising juggernaut RBCC... or, to spell it out, Rocket’s Blast-Comicollector. I was well aware of this when I wrote The Golden Age of Comic Fandom, way back in 1995. Therefore, to begin our multi-issue tribute, which will include a series of interviews and other special features from his friends and colleagues, here’s the story of G.B. and his fanzine, made up of excerpts from that tome (with a few revisions). And remember, Gordon was still very much alive when GAOCF was published. The excerpts begin after I had covered the origin of Alter-Ego and its likewise Jerry Bails-edited-and-published offshoots The Comicollector and The Comic Reader in 1961, as well as Parley Holman’s early fanzine Spotlite….

1961: “Something To Occupy My Time” 1961 was not yet over, and there was one more development with far-reaching implications to occur: the publication of a brief four-page fanzine called The Rocket’s Blast. Only six to eight copies of the first issue were produced, using carbon paper. There could have been no humbler beginning for this acorn which would one day grow into a mighty oak.

The Rocket’s Blast editor Gordon (G.B.) Love was born in 1939 in Atlanta, Georgia. He became a comic fan early with his love for the original Captain Marvel comics in the 1940s. He dreamed of performing feats of derring-do, but, unlike other boys, even modest feats of physical prowess would remain outside his grasp. For G.B. Love had cerebral palsy. He had had it since birth, when doctors found certain motor functions of his brain had been damaged. In 1959, G.B. and his family moved from Georgia to Miami, Florida. When the 20-year-old was tested by the rehabilitation people, he was told they had nothing for him. Goodwill offered him a job for $25 a week, but he wouldn’t take that. G.B. Love had a great deal more to offer than charity make-work, even if his cerebral palsy made telephone communication an uphill battle, and he could only type by clutching a pencil in one hand and striking the keys of an electric typewriter laboriously, one by one.

Love Is What Makes An RBCC An RBCC (Above top:) Gordon Belljohn Love. According to Robert Brown, who snapped this photo circa 1980, “The cap was part of a Kool Aid pilot’s kit I got at one of Don Maris’ shows. G.B. loved the caps. There was a ‘hostess’ cap for girls. He was happy to pose for the picture.” (Right:) Cover art on Rocket’s Blast-Comicollector [RBCC] #60 (1968) by the remarkable John G. Fantucchio. Mid-decade, this artist began producing a string of superb, idiosyncratic covers that upgraded the appearance of the fanzine. His first appeared on RBCC #44 (1965). His photo will be seen in a near-future issue—as it was in A/E #122. [Art © John G. Fantucchio.]

In a recent [1990s] interview, Love remembered how he decided to publish a fanzine: “[In 1961] I was looking for something to occupy my time, and hoped to develop something that might eventually become profitable. My original idea was to combine sf and comics in a fanzine, but I quickly dropped the sf and concentrated on my first love, comic books. I picked the name The Rocket’s Blast myself but I really don’t remember how I came up with it.”

A letter from Love printed in [the DC comic book] Mystery in Space announced his intention to start a club and put out a newsletter. “At the time I produced the first issue of RB, I was unaware of anyone else trying it, too. After I began publishing, I think the first fanzine I discovered was Alter-Ego.”

Love published under the aegis of the SFCA. This originally stood for Science Fiction and Comic Association, but was changed to South Florida Comic Association. In any case, it was merely the name of Love’s company.

The RBCC Story

Be It Ever So Humble… (Clockwise from above left:) G.B. Love seems to be welcoming one and all to the SFCA headquarters in Miami, Florida. His letter printed in Mystery in Space #92 (Dec. 1961) set the wheels turning for the publication of The Rocket’s Blast. The editor who published it was Julius Schwartz. Courtesy of Alan Hutchinson. [TM & © DC Comics.] The Rocket’s Blast #1 (December 1961) consisted of two legal-sized pages, “reproduced” by means of carbon paper. Here’s page 1. [© Estate of G.B. Love.]

The Rocket’s Blast was not, at first, primarily devoted to ads. The comics-oriented articles were generally brief and of variable quality. Some were profiles of Golden Age characters; others consisted of commentary on new comics. None of the first eight issues exceeded five legalsized pages.

1964: The Great Merger

2015 NOTE: One of the unique things about the various fanzines originated by Jerry Bails is they were continued by others when he moved on to other projects. The Comicollector and Alter-Ego were passed to Ronn Foss, who handled them into early 1964. Then, when Ronn decided to focus exclusively on creating his own comic strips, he passed Alter Ego (he’s the one who dehyphenated its name) and The Comicollector to Biljo White, best known for his fanzines Komix Illustrated and Batmania. White soon turned A/E over to Roy Thomas (co-editor of the early Bails issues) instead of editing/publishing it himself, remaining as its official art editor, but he commenced editing and publishing The Comicollector with #13.

Soon Biljo White learned what Ronn Foss had: producing an advertising fanzine involved a tremendous amount of record-keeping, and typing pages and pages full of numbers. No fun at all! This, combined with some personal problems that were happening in his life at the time, caused him to look for a successor after publishing just two issues. #15 would be his last issue.

Would The Comicollector die? It had burned out three of fandom’s most capable editor/publishers in two and a half years. What about all the subscriptions that were unfulfilled?

Biljo White turned to G.B. Love. Would he be interested in taking over the reins of CC?

It should be pointed out that Love had not, at first,

The Fawcett Invasion Of France – Part I T

by Jean-Michel Ferragatti Edited by P.C. Hamerlinck

he American comic book invasion of France began in 1939 with the first appearance of Superman in Aventures, the “newspaper for children” (périodique pour enfants) from publisher La librairie moderne (The Modern Bookshop). Soon, the Man of Steel was followed to France by DC’s Batman, Zatara, Hop Harrigan, Jon Valor the Black Pirate, and Dr. Mid-Nite; Centaur’s Masked Marvel, Fantom of the Fair, and Amazing-Man; Fox’s Yarko the Great, Blue Beetle, and The Flame; Street & Smith’s The Shadow; and Quality’s Black Condor, Alias the Spider, and The Voice. But this first period in French comics was halted by another invasion: the Nazi occupation of France in June 1940 and the subsequent eviction of all American material from the French publishing industry.

Nevertheless, with the victory of the Allies in 1944-45, some relations with old partners were revived in France, and publications featuring Superman and Batman started up again. These also included DC’s Sandman, Slam Bradley, Hour-Man, Green Lantern, The Spectre, and The Crimson Avenger; Centaur’s The Eye; and Quality’s Red Torpedo, The Clock, Doll Man, and Merlin the Magician. Additionally, new relationships were formed with new partners. After the war, the supply of paper was rationed in France. Only people who had made acts of resistance by cutting their publication production during the Nazi occupation, or who had launched resistant newspapers, could ask for a quota of paper to publish again. George Dargaud (later best-known for publishing Tintin in France, and launching Asterix and the career of artist Moebius) fulfilled such requirements, as his company, established in 1936, re-started in 1946 with new characters “Bob & Bobette.” After publishing one hardcover album, Dargaud launched a small-format (190 x 285 mm) newspaper for children, with its cover page starring none other than Fawcett’s “Hoppy the Marvel Bunny”! While only one adventure of Chad Grothkopf’s funnyanimal creation was published before Hoppy disappeared from the paper’s contents, the Fawcett invasion of France had begun! Bernadette Ratier was a resistant and had published some leaflets and a few publications for the Resistance. Her codename was “Dorothée,” and she had even published a resistant magazine for women named Femmes patriotes (Patriotic Women). With her friends from the Resistance network “Combat,” she created a weekly newspaper for children named Mon Journal featuring many French artists. However, starting with #9 (10-31-46), a series named “Liana fille

Hoppy Trails To You! (Left:) Amazingly, out of all the Fawcett characters, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny was the first to land in France, beginning with his appearance in Le journal de Bob et Bobette #2, 1946 (Editions Dargaud); art by Chad Grothkopf. All art in this section supplied by Jean-Michel Ferragatti. (Top of page:) A year later, a blue-clad Hoppy bounced over to Les albums de Pippo #1 (Editions Mondiales), as noted on p. 78. This cover was drawn by an unidentified French artist, clearly inspired by Chad’s Hoppy figure from the cover of Fawcett’s Funny Animals #26 (Feb. ’45). [Hoppy TM & © DC Comics.]

The Fawcett Invasion Of France – Part I

Junior Version “Captain Marvel Jr.” was the second Fawcett hero-feature to appear in France. A unique version of the World’s Mightiest Boy ran for over a year in the children’s newspaper Mon Journal; above is the adventure for issue #74 (1948), drawn by French artist Jean Cézard. [Shazam hero TM & © DC Comics.]

de la jungle” (“Liana the Jungle Girl”) was included inside the magazine, which was printed in black-&-white for budgetary reasons; only cover pages were in color. This series translated stories of Fawcett’s feature “Nyoka the Jungle Girl,” which was the only foreign strip in the newspaper at the beginning. Don Winslow of the Navy, composed of Bell Syndicate newspaper strips, began being published in France in 1936. The character continued to appear after the war, his Fawcett-produced stories being translated in many publications.

Mon Journal partnered with Fawcett Publications and, with issue #21 (1-23-47), “Captain Marvel Jr.” became its cover star and main feature until the end of its run with issue #86 (4-22-48). The first “Captain Marvel Jr.” story translated into French was “The Underwater Bandits” by Otto Binder, from Master Comics #69 (June 1946 cover date in the U.S.). The American Master #69 cover featuring Mac Raboy art was later used for a “trade paperback” edition of Mon Journal—a compilation of unsold copies bound together, much like Fawcett’s Gift Comics and Xmas Comics.

The first caption of the “Captain Marvel Jr.” story was totally rewritten, and the origin of Junior was completely changed by French writers: “Raised by a Hindu mage, the young crippled Freddy had received from his master a magic formula! Thanks to the three words “Captain Marvel Junior,” he could be transformed—under a generous feeling—into a flying athlete! He is now ready for his marvelous life of crime fighting….”

At the beginning, each episode was usually split into three parts or “covers” of Mon Journal. But CM Jr’s popularity with readers caused his publishing frequency to accelerate. Soon, three pages of the newspaper (out of a total of 8) were dedicated to the Blue Boy’s adventures. The character’s success prompted French artist Jean Cézard to use Cap Jr. in a brief cameo within his own series, Les mirobolantes aventures du Professor Pipe! “Junior” had a total of 42 episodes in France, derived from his solo adventures in Fawcett’s Master Comics and Captain Marvel Jr. Unfortunately, the sales of Mon Journal were not as high as Bernadette Ratier would have liked, mainly due to the format of the publication. The trend was moving away from large-sized, thin newspapers for children to smaller-sized but thick paperback publications. “Captain Marvel Jr.” was relegated to the inside of the Journal and was soon replaced by Charlie Chan comic strips until the publication folded. However, not long before that occurred, another Fawcett hero jumped into the Journal:

“Ibis the Invincible” was the third Fawcett feature published in Mon Journal, lasting for six episodes, translated from Fawcett’s Whiz Comics. “Ibis” was less popular than “Captain Marvel Jr.,” but big enough to star on a cover of one of the Mon Journal “trade paperbacks.” After Mon Journal was cancelled, the Fawcett characters would not be forgotten by the French. Cino Del Duca was an Italian who spent a large part of his life in France. He had created a large publishing empire on both sides of the Alps called Les Editions

Alter Ego #133