Alter Ego #136 by TwoMorrows Publishing

Roy Thomas’ Monumental Comics Fanzine

•1965–2015• STILL RASCALLY AFTER ALL THESE (FIFTY) YEARS!

ROY THOMAS

TALKS ABOUT THE NUTTY ’90s AT MIGHTY MARVEL (& ELSEWHERE)!

08 1

82658 27763

BONUS!

STAN LEE & KEVIN SMITH Join ROY at a 2014 confab!

9.95

In the USA

No.136

November 2015

Vol. 3, No. 136 / November 2015 Editor

Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout

Christopher Day

Consulting Editor John Morrow

FCA Editor

P.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

Cover Artists

Marie Severin, Andre Coates, Jackson Guice, Dave Hoover, David Ross, Lou Harrison, & an inker or three

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With Special Thanks to: Sean Howe Heidi Amash Dr. M. Thomas Inge Pedro Angosto Danny Kaminsky Ger Apeldoorn Darin Klein Marcus Antritter David Anthony Bob Bailey Kraft Michael Bair Stan Lee Josh Baker Mark Lewis John Benson Alan Light Claudia Bestor Jean-Marc & Randy William Biggins Lofficier Jackson Bostwick Richard A. Lupoff Eliot R. Brown Dennis Mallonee Rich Buckler Boyd Magers Nick Caputo Doug Martin Comic Vine Mike Mikulovsky (website) Brian K. Morris Tim & JoAnn Clayton Moore Conrad Frank Motler Jon B. Cooke Mark Muller Brian Cremins Hoy Murphy Teresa Davidson Dr. Amy K. Nyberg Diversions of the Barry Pearl Groovy Kind John G. Pierce (website) Jay Piscopo Sean Dulaney Rubén Procopio Jennie-Lynn Falk Mike Rockwitz George Ferriss David & Judi Ross Danny Fingeroth Randy Sargent Shane Foley Vija Shah Stephan Friedt Kevin Smith Janet Gilbert Jason Strangis Mike Gold Dann Thomas Grand Comics Database (website) Clayton Thorp guttertrash (website) Michael Uslan George Hagenauer Dr. Michael J. Vassallo Bill Hall Joss Whedon The Hammer Nina Wiener Museum, Los Angeles, CA Mike Zeck Ron & Jan Harris

Contents Writer/Editorial: 50—Count ’Em—50! . . . . . . . . 2 The Lee-Thomas-Smith Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Stan, Roy, & Kevin on 75 Years of Marvel—the book & the phenomenon!

“I Felt I Belonged At Marvel” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Roy Thomas talks to Jim Amash about his life as a freelance comics writer, 1986-1999.

Seal Of Approval: The History Of The Comic Code . . . . . . . 71 Concluding Amy K. Nyberg’s study of comics censorship.

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! – Kid Stuff! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Michael T. Gilbert on Roy T.’s 75th birthday—and other “boy wonders”!

FCA [Fawcett Collectors Of America] #195 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 P.C. Hamerlinck introduces fans and pros who congratulate Captain Marvel on his 75th!

On Our Cover: Around the turn of 1965-66, Roy Thomas and pal Gary Friedrich moved into an apartment in the heart of bohemian Greenwich Village, across Bleecker Street from the studio of a sculptor who taught a beginning class on Saturdays. Roy took one early-morning lesson and, the following Monday, told his fellow Marvel staffer Marie Severin about it. Before he’d even fully decided to quit the class (which he did), Marie had drawn a devastatingly perceptive office cartoon she titled “Roy’s First Day at Sculpting Class.” Ten years ago, at his pleading, she drew a more detailed version of it, since he had misplaced the original over the decades, and that re-do serves as the ironic centerpiece to a montage featuring published art from some Marvel series that Roy wrote during the 1990s: The Invaders by Dave Hoover—Dr. Strange by Jackson Guice & inker José Marzan—The Secret Defenders by Andre Coates & inker Don Hudson—Avengers West Coast & Ultron by David Ross & inker Tim Dzon—and Thor, a figure from a cover painted by Lou Harrison. Oh, and thanks to Shane Foley for the cover idea—you’ll understand why when you see A/E #139. [Cartoon © Marie Severin; Marvel art TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.] Above: Stan Lee (on left) and Roy Thomas are interviewed by Kevin Smith (not seen here, but director/writer of the films Clerks, Mallrats, et al.) onstage at L.A.’s Hammer Museum on December 6, 2014. The official occasion was the publication of Taschen’s gigantic volume 75 Years of Marvel: From the Golden Age to the Silver Screen. Kevin seized the opportunity to query Roy, as well as Stan, about their early lives and careers, thereby making a transcription of the entire proceedings perfect for inclusion in this issue timed to celebrate Roy’s 50th year in the comic book industry, dating from late June 1965 (or a few months earlier, if you count two freelance stories RT wrote for Charlton). See pp. 3-28. Projected overhead are images from the mid-1950s revival of Captain America. Thanks to Darin Klein of the Hammer Museum for providing the photo. 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

ifty years!

50—Count ’Em—50!

Well, I guess it was inevitable. After all, at the time of Alter Ego #100 in 2011, it had been exactly half a century since Jerry Bails and I had put out the #1 spirit-duplicator issue of A/E as the first super-hero comic book fanzine. Since it was little more than four years after that that I wound up entering the comics field, I suppose that minor landmark, too, was bound to roll around: the 50th anniversary of the year I worked first for Charlton, then briefly for DC, and soon for Stan Lee at resurging Marvel Comics.

Some may not believe it, but I really did have reservations about doing a fourth issue of A/E devoted largely to my own work. In my defense: in the case of other Silver Age pros, we’re usually discussing their careers only up to the time when I stepped down as Marvel’s editor-in-chief (late 1974). From the outset, A/E has also had a mandate to deal with any period of my own career— and that gives it an additional four decades to play around with. That, rather than any misguided belief that my own work is four times as worthy of coverage as other people’s, is the rationale behind this issue’s interview—which was conducted, I’m happy to say, by longtime A/E interviewer Jim Amash. Not that it shows (we hope), but the six hours’ or more worth of conversation that commences between pp. 30-69 was, by far, the hardest of the four Roy Thomas interviews to finalize in print. When we began, Jim’s ancient tape recorder had long since given up the ghost. So veteran transcriber Brian K. Morris generously mailed Jim his own machine, and Jim and I got down to it by phone. But alas, the many hours’ worth of tapes then went lost somewhere between Jim and Brian; the P.O. says they were delivered, but if so, apparently not to Brian’s address. And Jim hadn’t had the facilities to make backup copies. Thankfully, at least Brian’s borrowed tape recorder, sent back another day, made it safely home.

Second attempt: Jim’s good friend and erstwhile comic book letterer Teresa Davidson set up a system to record our phone conversation directly onto the hard drive of Jim’s PC, so it could be transmitted electronically rather than via mail… and we did the whole thing over again, probably another six hours or more, although, naturally, the actual back-and-forth talk inevitably varied. But then, due to some minor glitch, those hours’ worth of talk somehow didn’t record! Jim, however, persevered, and we went through the whole process a third time—which, fortunately, proved the charm. Then Brian himself, who’d originally begged off transcribing this interview, took pity on us because of our looming deadline and stepped in to handle this one, as well—with its middle third being transcribed by his associate, Sean Dulaney. A heartfelt thanks to both guys for coming through in a pinch! As it turned out, however, the interview was quite long—and I’d already scheduled for this issue a transcript of the panel, held in Los Angeles last December, in which Kevin Smith interviewed Stan Lee and myself about Taschen Publishing’s massive book 75 Years of Marvel: From the Golden Age to the Silver Screen. That panel had dealt in part with my 50 years in comics (which, after all, was the ostensible reason for spotlighting me in this issue)—so the second half of Jim’s interview, which deals with Marvel’s Conan and abortive Excelsior titles and with other companies such as Topps, Cross Plains, DC, et al., has been unavoidably delayed till A/E #139, six short months from now. That issue will also feature the piece originally scheduled for this issue about the history of Dr. Strange’s habitation at 177A Bleecker Street in Manhattan. Bestest,

P.S.: Special thanks to Michael T. Gilbert (see p. 79) for wishing me a happy 75th birthday this November 22nd. Where does the time go?

# COMING IN DECEMBER 137 JIM SHOOTER’S FIRST DECADE IN COMICS! • Time-bending cover by CURT SWAN & GEORGE KLEIN!

• JIM SHOOTER talks to RICHARD ARNDT about being a teenage comic book writer in 1965—and becoming a major force on DC’s Superman and The Legion of SuperHeroes! And yes, they discuss his days at Marvel, as well! Featuring art & artifacts related to CURT SWAN • NEAL ADAMS • MORT WEISINGER • CARMINE INFANTINO • JOHN ROMITA • STAN LEE • WIN MORTIMER • JIM MOONEY • GEORGE PAPP • E. NELSON BRIDWELL • GEORGE ROUSSOS • SHELDON MOLDOFF, et al.! • Sourcing AMY KISTE NYBERG’s book Seal of Approval—and more of ALBERTO BECATTINI on amazing artist DAN BARRY, if there’s room! [Art TM & © DC Comics.]

• Also: A special tribute to HERB TRIMPE—FCA presents Fawcett’s heroes in UK comics—MICHAEL T. GILBERT’s Comic Crypt—BILL SCHELLY showcases a panel on the “survivors” of the very first comic convention—& MORE!

Edited by ROY THOMAS • SUBSCRIBE NOW! Eight issues in the US: $67 Standard, $82 First Class • (Canada: $85, Elsewhere: $104 Surface, $242 Airmail). • NEW LOWER RATES FOR INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS! SAVE $4 PER ISSUE!

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The Lee-Thomas-Smith Show

STAN LEE, ROY THOMAS, & KEVIN SMITH On 75 Years Of Marvel—The Book & The Phenomenon Dec. 6, 2014, Panel at The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA — Transcribed by Brian K. Morris

Part I – By The Book Introduction by Roy Thomas

ometime around the middle or so of 2013, I was asked by Taschen Publishing editors Josh Baker and Nina Wiener to temporarily halt my writing of what is to be a humongous book about the career of Marvel Comics editor, writer, and publisher Stan Lee, which I’d begun a few months earlier—and to switch over to writing an, if anything, even more humongous volume about the first “75 years of Marvel”—from 1939 to 2014. By contract with Marvel, this new tome had to be on sale in time for Christmas of ’14, giving it scheduling priority over the Lee book.

Heavy Promotion For Heavy Reading (Left:) Barry Pearl sent us this composition he calls “Heavy Reading”: the cover of the 17-pound Taschen Publishing book 75 Years of Marvel: From the Golden Age to the Silver Screen (with its Jack Kirby/George Roussos image from the cover of The Avengers #4, March 1964) being hefted Atlas-like by the Hulk, as rendered by Jim Steranko for the cover of The Incredible Hulk [“King-Size Special”] #1, dated Oct. 1968. The latter was actually the first Hulk annual. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.] (Above:) The Taschen book’s bylined author, longtime Marvel writer and editor Roy Thomas (at center of photo), and film director Kevin Smith (on right) are clearly enthralled as Marvel writer/editor/publisher/super-legend Stan Lee (on left) relates an anecdote—or maybe he was actually singing “The Merry Marvel Marching Society Song,” as he kept threatening to do during the panel, and somehow the Hammer Museum folks neglected to record it! Thanks to Darin Klein, public programs associate of the museum, for sending all photos from the panel and from the book-signing afterward that appear with this transcription. And thanks to Stan Lee, Kevin Smith, and Claudia Bestor for their kind permission to print this transcription.

I happily agreed to author the first half of the book, which I suggested deal with events through late 1974, when I stepped down after two-plus years as Marvel’s editor-in-chief in favor of a writer/editor contract… but I requested that someone else pick up the story from that point, since I hadn’t followed current comics closely since then. Taschen reluctantly agreed, and I set to work, with a January 1, 2014, deadline for my portion of the work. A talented journalist on the West Coast was swiftly contracted to do the latter half of the book.

Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, & Kevin Smith On 75 Years Of Marvel

Come January 2, the first workday of the new year, I duly delivered my text via e-mail and prepared to return to the Lee book, among my other pursuits. A couple of weeks later, however, the two Taschen editors got back to me and said that, although he’d delivered a fine outline, my prospective co-author, due to illness, had been unable to scribe his half of the main text. So Josh and Nina asked me to write the 1974-2014 segment of the work, as well. Reluctant to do so, I suggested several other names to them… but, in the end, I was persuaded to agree to finish the book, as long as my colleague Danny Fingeroth (co-editor with me and major producer of the 2011 TwoMorrows study The Stan Lee Universe, and himself a former Marvel writer and editor) was commissioned to help me with research on the 1980s and beyond. That alone would make it possible for me to finish the text by spring, balancing it with work on Alter Ego and other projects; obviously, we would be several months late by the original schedule, while the looming on-sale date (tied to Yuletide sales) never altered by one millisecond. In addition, several other people were being hired, some at least partly at my recommendation, to assist the editors in assembling the monumental amount of artwork and photos—as well as to write related captions—needed for the book. This included my “It’s Very Fancy On Old Yancy Street, You Know…” longtime comics history colleagues, the self-styled “Yancy Street The self-styled (and who’s gonna argue with ’em?) modern-day Yancy Street Gang at Gang” (in alphabetical order: Nick Caputo, Barry Pearl, and Dr. Taschen’s New York bookstore upon the release of 75 Years of Marvel, for which they Michael J. Vassallo). John Rhett Thomas (no relation) acted as wrote the basic captions, in addition to doing other invaluable research. When the Taschen editors asked Roy for suggestions concerning researchers on the Golden and Marvel contact and fact-checker, besides writing mini-biographies Silver Ages of Timely/Atlas/Marvel, the first three names that came to mind were (left to for the back of the book; and several other skilled artisans worked right): Nick Caputo, Barry Pearl, and Dr. Michael J. Vassallo. Photo courtesy of Barry. on other aspects of it. Josh Baker, a knowledgeable comic book enthusiast whose special project this book was—as had been the While it was not my job either to choose the art and photos or to write equally massive 2010 volume 75 Years of DC Comics—was the book’s the captions related to either, I spent considerable time going over both official editor and guiding light, and deservedly wound up with a titleafter they were assembled, effecting the replacement of a picture here, page “Edited and designed by” credit; the book would be far more his than rewriting a line of copy there. I cast a particular eye on the credits related mine, whatever the authorial byline. Nina Wiener coordinated and to the 1960s/70s comics material, since there’s an ongoing dispute over oversaw the day-to-day aspects of the editing, later ably aided and abetted precisely who did what in some of the stories, particularly in the 1960s. by Maurene Goo. Although Taschen is a German publishing company, it To me, the only thing that made sense was to give the credits as printed in has major offices in New York and Los Angeles, and Josh and Nina (in the comics themselves (and/or as generally understoond at the time), varying degrees) divide their time between the two coasts. Since we were rather than try to parse exactly what Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, et al., so far behind the eight-ball timewise, there was, alas, no time to finalize contributed to the yarns (besides mind-bending art, of course) at any one an index such as the DC-related volume had had; but otherwise everypoint. Still, in the book’s text, I tried to make it clear that no attempt was thing made it into the book that was supposed to make it into the book— being made to ignore or denigrate the co-plotting work of the artists; it’s including a thorough-going fold-out timeline sheet (primarily by Andy just that the 75 Years of Marvel book wasn’t the place to establish a Lewis) that was inserted in—but not physically attached to—the volume. battleground over creative credits. Marvel, of course, had overall approval of every word in the book and of the precise images used—but, all in all, things went reasonably smoothly In retrospect, I have to admit, I’m extremely thankful that Josh and between Marvel, Taschen, and Nina cajoled me into writing the entirety of the book’s main text. I myself, and I was pleased (as, probably should have agreed to do it from the get-go, back in 2013. As this apparently, were the former two issue of A/E goes to press, the volume’s sizable index can now be accessed entities) with the mammoth online at www.taschen.com/marvel. tome that went on sale circa November of last year. While the book was

Josh Baker.

Nina Wiener.

Maurene Goo.

The three editors Roy T. worked with on the big Taschen book. To Josh Baker’s left is the Fred Ray cover of the 2010 Taschen volume 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Myth-Making, written by Paul Levitz and likewise edited/shepherded by Baker. Photos courtesy of Josh and Nina Wiener.

being printed, Taschen made arrangements with me (and Dann, of course) to fly to Los Angeles for the major publicity push, over the first weekend in December. That included several print and TV interviews, a major signing of copies (by Stan Lee and myself) at Taschen’s own bookstore there—and a Saturday,

The Lee-Thomas-Smith Show

…Where Credit Is Due (Above Left:) Beginning with The Amazing Spider-Man #26 (June 1965), Steve Ditko was given splash-page credit for plots as well as artwork, with Stan Lee listed as scripter (but not in his equally important capacity as editor). This issue, on sale in March or April, was the first to formalize the fact that the two men had recently ceased talking to each other about plots (or anything else) because plotting sessions had become contentious. The exact division of labor between them before #26 can’t be definitively delineated, so text-author Thomas felt it best that, prior to that issue, the captions credit Lee as scripter, Ditko as artist—the functions for which each man was doubtless paid. Of course, at Marvel during this era, being a strip’s “artist” included breaking down the story from a synopsis or after a plot conference, and this was emphasized at various points in the main text.

Steve Ditko. Relaxing, in a 1960s photo sent to us by Ger Apeldoorn.

(Above right:) Even less clearcut was the division of labor between Stan Lee (originally credited as “writer” or “scripter”) and Jack Kirby (identified as “penciler,” since his work was nearly always inked by others, but a co-plotter virtually from the beginning). However, to accommodate a restive Kirby, Lee began with Fantastic Four #56 (Nov. 1966) to credit them both as undifferentiated co-producers of the material, as per the “Produced by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby” byline therein. The inker was Joe Sinnott. Thanks to Barry Pearl for both scans. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Dec. 6th, afternoon program at L.A.’s Hammer Museum that would feature Stan and myself, moderated by film director (and frequent Stan Lee on-stage interviewer) Kevin Smith.

Naturally, Dann and I had built in a bit of time (though not nearly enough) to spend with L.A. friends; but Friday, Dec. 5, was largely devoted to publicity for the book, including my doing a video interview with Don Kaye for online Blastr (I hope I’ve got that right) and another with the personable and attractive Mandalit del Barco, who plies her trade for National Public Radio. The former was already fairly familiar with the history of comics; and I was duly impressed by the fact that, though not a “comic book person,” Ms. del Barco had clearly read the entire main text

Jack Kirby. A vintage pic from the Internet, complete with pipe.

of the book in preparation for our hour-long taping. Unfortunately, when the radio piece aired days later over NPR at a respectable four-minute length, both Taschen and I were chagrined that, though the segment featured sound bites by both Stan and myself (from separate interviews), it barely managed to mention the book’s title—and didn’t name the publisher at all, even though the talk had been conducted on a back landing of Taschen’s

Mandalit Del Barco Arts correspondent for National Public Radio West.

“I Felt I Belonged At Marvel” ROY THOMAS Talks About His Life As A Comics Freelancer From 1986-1999 Conducted by Jim Amash

Transcribed by Brian K. Morris & Sean Dulaney

NTERVIEWEE’S INTRODUCTION: Yes, you read it right: this preface is being written by interview subject Roy Thomas, rather than by ace interviewer Jim Amash. Jim, who mostly retired from doing interviews three years ago (though he remains a consultant and associate editor for Alter Ego), was kind enough to return to active service long enough to do this one, which covers my comics writing from 1986 through 1999. However, a combination of his pro workload (inking for Archie Comics) and various personal considerations kept him from scribbling this intro. Jim has valiantly conducted previous talks with me concerning my career in the latter 1960s (A/E #50), the 1970s (#70), and the 1980s (#100). This confab is a bit different from the aforementioned trio. The first two dealt almost entirely with my writing and editing for Marvel Comics from 1965 through 1980—the third with the 1980-86 period when I was under contract as a writer for DC Comics and with my post-contract late’80s work for the Superman company. Since ’86, I’ve been a freelancer; so this installment (and I guess that’s what it is—a fourth installment chronicling my checkered life in the industry) deals with my comics writing over roughly a decade and a half, and, this time, for a number of different companies: Marvel, of course (the largest section by far), but also Pacific, First, Dark Horse, Heroic, TSR, Topps, Cross Plains, Millennium, DC, and even Tekno (for which I never actually did anything)—and, since we still accidentally skipped a company or two while we rocketed along under the gun, I’ve tossed in art spots regarding a couple more as they seemed to fit, just to keep the record straight.

And, with all that, the interview was still so long that I’ve had little choice but to save a decade’s worth of Marvel Conan titles and the Excelsior line (a sadly aborted Stan Lee West Coast imprint of the mid’90s) for A/E #139—those, plus the last five companies listed in the preceding paragraph. I was loath to break the conversation into two parts, with several months between them, but it was either that or jettison the December 2014 Hammer Museum panel featuring Stan Lee, movie

“Nine For Mortal Men…” — No, Make That Ten! Roy Thomas (left) and Jim Amash reunited at the 2015 Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC, courtesy of a pic taken by spouse Heidi Amash—beneath covers from each of the main companies for which Roy wrote from the mid-’80s through the ’90s—roughly half of which will be discussed in this issue, with the rest saved for A/E #139. (Clockwise from top left:) Marvel’s Avengers West Coast #90 (Jan. 1993) – art by David Ross & Tim Dzon… Pacific’s Elric #1 (April 1983) – art by P. Craig Russell & Michael T. Gilbert… First’s Alter Ego #4 (Nov. 1986) – art by Ron Harris… Heroic’s Captain Thunder and Blue Bolt #1 (Sept. 1987) – art by Dell Barras… TSR’s Warhawks Comics Module #1 (1990) – art by “KAA”… Dark Horse’s Cormac Mac Art #1 (1990) – art by John Bolton... Topps’ Cadillacs and Dinosaurs #1 (Feb. 1993) – art by William Stout… Cross Plains’ Red Sonja: A Death in Scarlet (1999) – art by Steve Lightle… DC’s graphic novel Superman: War of the Worlds (1999) – art by Michael Lark… Millennium’s H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu: The Festival, Book One (1993) – art by Kelley Jones. [TM & © respectively by Marvel Characters, Inc.; Michael & Linda Moorcock; Roy & Dann Thomas & Ron Harris; Roy & Dann Thomas; TSR, Inc.; Robert E. Howard Properties, Inc.; Mark Schultz; Red Sonja Properties, Inc.; DC Comics; Millennium Publications.]

“I Felt I Belonged At Marvel!”

director Kevin Smith, and myself that precedes this long piece… and that I didn’t want to do. So, onward: Jim and I began talking not quite about the mid-’80s, let alone the ’90s, but about a closely related anomaly of the year 1983, when I was just signing the second of my three-year contracts with DC Comics, which would cover me through ’86…

Pacific Comics & First Comics JIM AMASH: You did Elric in Epic Illustrated for Marvel, and then you did Elric at Pacific Comics. I was wondering, didn’t that interfere with your exclusive at DC? ROY THOMAS: I had a clause in my contract at DC that allowed me to do a couple of outside things. Elric was probably one of them, because I started that with Pacific in 1983, during my DC contract period. The Conan the Barbarian newspaper strip had been another exception, but Jim Shooter wouldn’t allow me to do that— and, because Crom is just, the strip died a couple of months later. JA: Who contacted you about doing Elric for Pacific? THOMAS: I had an agent for comics work—Mike Friedrich, who’d been a comic book writer for over a decade by that point, though he wasn’t doing much writing anymore. He’d founded the Star*Reach Agency, named after the “ground-level” comic he did. Mike had contacts with [Elric creator] Michael Moorcock and put together the package, with me as the writer; I think he also lined up the artists. Michael T. Gilbert was involved with Elric from near the beginning of the Pacific stint, because Craig Russell wanted some help with the layouts. Michael had done production work on Alter Ego #11 in the first series, back around 1978, the issue Mike Friedrich published. So we had this incestuous little group, and Mike [Friedrich] was kind of the ringmaster. He knew I already had an interest in Elric, since I’d stuck him years earlier into Conan the Barbarian. We made a nice team, Russell and Gilbert and me… then Michael and me after Craig departed. After the end of the Russell/Gilbert period, Elric bounced around between artists in several-issue series. The Elric series had switched companies, too—from Marvel to Pacific, a new company owned by the Schanes brothers, for a single six-issue series—and then in 1986 to First Comics in Chicago, which had been launched with Mike Gold as co-founder. He and I had known each other for a few years, from when he was associated with the Chicago convention.

The only sour note on Elric came a few years later, when they got to the very last series, Stormbringer… the death of Elric. At that stage, Craig Russell aced me out and wrote the thing himself as well as drawing it. He may have done a fine job… I wouldn’t know. I’ve never read it or looked at it, and never will. JA: On Elric, you had a timeline you followed from the original stories, right? THOMAS: Yes, they were adapted pretty much in order, except for maybe the story for Epic Illustrated. I thought Moorcock’s early Elric tales were the strongest. In one or two later ones, I feel they relied a bit too much on deus ex machina. Elric would get in a problem and suddenly he’d remember some millennia-old spell. But I’m sure I did stuff like that with Dr. Strange in the late ’60s, too. Not every story can work out perfectly. JA: Did Moorcock like how you interpreted Elric? THOMAS: Well, he’s never said much for it or against it—except for understandably disliking the “dunce cap” Barry and I put on Elric’s head in Conan the Barbarian. But that was a mistake made because he was depicted that way on the covers of the first American paperbacks. I’m happy that Titan Comics is now reprinting our Pacific and First adaptations in hardcover. Some of those have never been collected before. JA: When you did the series for Pacific, I’m assuming you got a page rate. Did it make any royalties for you?

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The Concluding Chapter Of The 1998 Study On Comics Censorship By DR. AMY KISTE NYBERG

A/E

EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION: This issue brings to a close the reprinting of the main text of her landmark history of comic book censorship, whose chapters have previously appeared in Alter Ego #123-128, 130, & 133-135. As we’ve noted before: Seal of Approval is “footnoted” in the MLA (Modern Library Association] style which lists book, article, or author name, plus page numbers, between parentheses in the main text: e.g., “(Hart 134-156)” refers to pp. 154-156 of whichever work by an author or editor named Hart is listed in Seal’s bibliography (which will be printed in an issue or two, to encourage further reading). When the parentheses contain only page numbers, it’s because the other pertinent information is printed in the text almost immediately preceding the note.

young minds. Protection of children made a strong case for both community and political action. In cities across the United States, decency campaigns organized by church groups, civic organizations, and women’s groups targeted local retailers. Threats of a boycott were usually enough to encourage shop owners to remove materials deemed offensive. Politicians, too, found the comic book crusade a worthy cause and launched investigations at the state and federal level, threatening to pass legislation censoring comic books. These investigations accomplished little in the way of legislation, but they quite effectively generated enough negative publicity to force the comic book publishers into action.

Once again, we have retained nearly all usages and spellings and capitalizations from the original work, which can still be obtained from its publisher, the University Press of Mississippi, at www.upress.sate.ms.us. Our thanks again to Dr. M. Thomas Inge, under whose general editorship the volume was originally published in 1998—and who aided us greatly in obtaining permission for our reprinting—and to William Biggins and Vijah Shah, acquisitions editors past and present of the UPM. In our own captions, which may not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Nyberg or of the UPM, we have reverted to our own house style. Thanks to Brian K. Morris for a retyping assist.

Psychiatrist Fredric Wertham played a pivotal role in focusing national attention on comic books and juvenile delinquency. Wertham brought to the crusade a lifelong interest in social influences on violent behavior, suggesting that intervention at the social, not the individual, level was the most effective way to deal with problems such as juvenile delinquency. Far from being a naive social scientist with a simplistic causeand-effect model of media

The previous chapter brought the history of comics censorship and the Comics Code Authority up through the institution of a new and less restrictive Code in 1989, plus a general survey of the field through the latter 1990s, just before the book was published. There follows [1998] Dr. Nyberg’s observations concerning the relevance of the Code as of 1998...

Conclusion

The Significance Of The Code Today [1998]

rom the beginning, the comic book controversy was constructed around children. For educators and librarians, the comic book was a threat to adult authority over children’s reading and their leisure time; after the war, the comic book became a threat to adult authority in maintaining law and order. In both instances, the child audience was justification for taking action against comic books, as well as other mass media. Even with a lack of evidence proving that mass media sex and violence had harmful effects on children, common sense dictated that a steady diet of such material simply could not be good for

“Little Lulu, I Love You-Lu Just The Same!” In the wake of the United States’ action, some other countries enacted their own codes—as per the above Brazilian Little Lulu reprint, whose code seal was distinctly modeled after the American one. Thanks to George Hagenauer. [© the respective copyright holders.]

The 1998 Study On Comic Censorship By Dr. Amy Kiste Nyberg

For What It’s Wertham (Left:) An ad/plug for the ACMP (Association of Comic Magazine Publishers) group’s Comics Code and its seal, of 1948; it appeared in various comic books of the period. This group was discussed in the chapter of Nyberg’s book reprinted in A/E #125. Thanks to Frank Motler. (Above:) No concluding summary of a book about comics censorship would be complete without an image of Dr. Frederic Wertham, whose late1940s/early-’50s articles, 1954 Senate subcommittee appearance, and book Seduction of the Innocent (also 1954) played a monumental part in the events that led to the founding of the Comics Magazine Association of America and the Comics Code Authority. This caricature is from the guttertrash website. [© the respective copyright holders.]

effects, Wertham fits more into the tradition of the Frankfurt School and its critique of mass culture. In fact, Wertham dismissed social science methodology, instead developing the “clinical method” of taking detailed case histories, which he believed was the only way of truly understanding the longitudinal impact of media effects. Because his medical colleagues rejected his call for the development of social psychiatry, he took his campaign for social reform to the public, capitalizing on the comic book controversy as a way of furthering his agenda for addressing issues of violence in society. This revisionist history of Wertham should not be misinterpreted as an attempt to glorify his actions. Despite his efforts to frame the debate over comic books as a mental health issue, the legislation he pushed for was clearly censorship. In addition, he used comic books as a way to advance his social agenda, recognizing that a medium perceived by the public as catering to children—one that had little legitimacy as a literary or artistic form—would make an easy target. Most of the arguments he made about comic books and violence could have been applied to film or television, but those media were much less vulnerable to attack. By the time he wrote Seduction of the Innocent, Wertham made no attempt at neutrality. His loathing of the comic book medium and the industry that produced it was evident in his writing, and he skillfully manipulated public opinion with carefully selected anecdotal material and examples. But it is important to recognize that much of the condemnation of Wertham has been based on erroneous assumptions about his views and his methodology.

The adoption of a comics code and the appointment of a “czar” to oversee its implementation and enforcement was, in Wertham’s eyes, a victory for the comic book industry. He was right. The code proved to be an effective public relations move, silencing most of the critics without substantially changing the structure of the industry. Modeled after the film code, the comics code targeted all material that could possibly be considered offensive, going beyond the regulation of crime and horror comics to mandate that comics should reﬂect dominant American values. The main impact of the code, beyond restricting the type of material that could be published, was that it forced the reorganization of the industry. Publishers of the crime and horror comics restricted or outlawed under the new code either had to adapt or to go out of business, and many did fold. The major problem faced by the survivors had less to do with the code and more to do with increasing competition for children’s leisure time from television and with a crisis brought about by antitrust action against the industry’s major distributor. Many scholars have argued that the code nearly destroyed the comic book industry. This simply is not true. The comics code, along with changing business conditions, resulted in a number of established companies, along with the more marginal publishers, closing their doors, but there was never any real danger that comic books would cease to exist. Had the industry chosen to ride out the controversy over content, it is possible that much of the fervor over comics would have died down as the public turned its attention to other matters. But such defiance would have been difficult under the circum-

Seal Of Approval: The History Of The Comics Code

stances. William Gaines’ proposal to hire researchers in an effort to prove scientifically that there were no ill effects from reading comic books seems logical, but unfortunately, such evidence most likely would have been dismissed by the public in much the same way that educators and parents rejected earlier academic research that demonstrated comic books had little effect on reading development in children. Further, comic book distribution depended on the goodwill of retailers. While publishers might have been able to insulate themselves from their critics and continue to publish what they wished, the retailers were on the front lines. They were the targets of boycotts and were subject to arrest under any laws that were passed making the sale of objectionable comics to minors illegal, even if such arrests were eventually thrown out on constitutional grounds. Publishers were justified in pursuing self-regulation as a solution to the comic book controversy. However, the code could have acknowlDoom, Gloom, & Goom edged that not all comics should be (Left:) The Quality line’s Web of Evil was a horror comic book that featured the work of Reed Crandall, Jack suitable for children. Had the Motion Cole, and numerous other talented artists. This is the cover of the first issue, cover-dated Nov. 1952. The Picture Association of America code been entire run is currently being reprinted by PS Artbooks; check out their website for information. Artist in place in the 1950s, rather than the uncertain. [© the respective copyright holders.] earlier Film Production Code, the comics (Right:) In the Comic Code’s wake, there were still monsters, but they owed more to King Kong and the code might have been much different. The recent Godzilla movie than to Dracula and Frankenstein. The cover of the Timely (future Marvel) group’s code was literally thrown together almost Tales of Suspense #15 (March 1959) was penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Dick Ayers. Incidentally, two overnight, with little thought about the issues later, Goom would have a son… name of Googam. [© Marvel Characters, Inc.] long-range impact such a document would have. A more thoughtful, less became a thing of the past under the new code regulations hurried approach to the problem might have resulted in a more (Williams 66). Instead, the genre shifted to detective mysteries or visionary structure for the code based on the idea there should be focused on police stories patterned after popular television series different rating categories depending on the intended audience. (Sabin 166). Such a code would have paved the way for the comic book It is difficult to say what would have happened to crime and industry to cater to its child audience while at the same time horror comics if there had never been a comics code. By the time considering ways it could expand its market to encompass older the code went into effect, sales of crime comics had already begun adolescents and young adults to help stem the loss of its audience to decline. It is possible that horror comics, then at their peak, to television. would have decreased in popularity as well, to be replaced by Instead, the code represented a tacit agreement with the critics. other genres—a pattern typical in popular culture in general, as The lasting legacy of the comics code has been the comic book evidenced by the rise and fall of the western in film and on industry’s acquiescence to defining the comic book as a form of television, for example. In fact, horror comics enjoyed a brief resurentertainment solely for children and the reinforcement of that gence during the 1970s after the first revision of the code, but this perception in the minds of the public. Such limitations, many have resurgence was short lived. While the Silver Age heroes stepped argued, were a major setback in the development of the comic into the vacuum left by the departure of the horror comics, their book. This argument that the comics code had a negative effect on rebirth was due as much to the rise of a new generation of artists the creative growth of the medium is more difficult to assess than raised on the Golden Age superheroes and their desire to re-create the code’s influence on the industry. While the focus of this study the characters of their youth as it was to the demise of the horror has been the code’s impact on publishing, no discussion of the genre. It is likely that the coming of the new superhero titles would code would be complete without an attempt to address the issue of have displaced many of the surviving horror and crime comics. the comics code’s effect on the comic book itself. Even without a The biggest impact that the code has had on the content of systematic study of pre-code and post-code comic books, it is comic books was the maintenance of the superhero comic as the obvious that adoption of a self-regulatory code changed comic dominant genre in the years following the code’s adoption. The book content. Gone were the gruesome horror comics. In their code discourages experimentation with its strict prohibitions on place, historians note, were stories featuring the supernatural, subject matter; as a result, the superhero comic, the staple of the emphasizing suspense over terror (Benton, Horror Comics 53-55; industry, is reworked in endless variations that seldom pose a Sabin 165). With vampires and werewolves banned under the code, challenge to the code or to public perception of the medium writers and artists began to borrow the giant monsters of the (Williams 66). Another factor, of course, is that the superhero has movies, such as Godzilla and The Blob (Benton, Horror Comics 57). been a successful (and profitable) formula, and established While the code did not forbid crime comics, the urban crime story

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Captain Marvel: A 75-Year Anniversary Tribute

The World’s Mightiest Kudos To The World’s Mightiest Mortal Edited by P.C. Hamerlinck

oly Moley! It’s been 75 years since Bill Parker and C.C. Beck’s Captain Marvel first appeared in Fawcett’s funny-books, taking the comics industry—and the hearts and fancy of millions—by thunderstorm. The amiable hero’s faithful followers during the Golden Age had been struck by lightning, and all that was needed was to summon one single wish-fulfilling, call-to-action word to bolt them into a remarkable realm where practically everything was possible. Shazam! To help celebrate the World’s Mightiest Mortal’s Big-75, I called together my fellow Captain Marvel Club members and presented them with a seemingly impossible task: put on paper (keyboard) one specific Fawcett-era “Captain Marvel” story that left a lasting impression on them… one that exemplifies the very things they feel made the original CM unique, exceptional, and memorable.

The review of lesser-known “CM” stories was encouraged, but not mandatory. There was only one ground rule: no one would take on Mr. Mind and the Monster Society of Evil. It was agreed that we all loved the unprecedented 25-chapter serial, and that what had already been said about it previously in Alter Ego was sufficient. And now, let’s wander down to the abandoned subway station where it all began…. —PCH.

The Great Comic Book Hero It was 1965. President Kennedy was gone. The Beatles were here. The Cuban invasion had failed. The British invasion had taken over the American rock ’n’ roll charts. The second New York comics convention was taking place, with over 200 attendees expected. Fanzines, largely the only way to learn about comic books and their superheroes, found their printed mimeographed circulations reaching as high as 500 in some cases. (The photo-offset Alter Ego had hit the 1000 mark.) “Internet” was a term that could only have been used in doubles tennis, if anywhere. The history of comics was like a buried treasure to us comic book readers of the Silver Age… lost and irretrievable without a key. But suddenly, everything changed! The mystical key to the glorious past of our beloved super-heroes appeared within the grasp of every fan. It was a book. It was written by a man named Jules Feiffer. And it was called The Great Comic Book Heroes. And it was good.

Under The “J”—75! Bingo! Frequent FCA contributor artist Jay Piscopo helps us commemorate 75 years of Captain Marvel with this thunderous tribute piece. [Shazam hero & Billy Batson TM & © DC Comics; other art © 2015 Jay Piscopo.]

At last, the vault swung open, and we fans not only were treated to an anecdotal history of our favorite pastime (or, in my case, “full-time”), we were also presented with full-color reprints of vintage comic book stories featuring the great first generation of super-heroes! We learned to our abject astonishment that Superman looked

FCA [Fawcett Collectors Of America]

nothing like the way the character was being drawn in 1965. And there was a super-hero who made bad guys drop dead! And before there was The Human Torch in Fantastic Four, there was The Human Torch who wasn’t in any “Fantastic Four” and wasn’t even “Human.” And there was this guy called “The Spirit,” whose comic book tales were completely unlike any super-hero stories we were reading in 1965. And it was within these sacred, hallowed pages that, at age 14, I first met Captain Marvel. This is the specific Captain Marvel story that therefore left a lasting impression on me… and it was only one page! As Jules Feiffer explained in so many words: once upon a time, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman. And Harry Donenfeld, brand new publisher of DC Comics, said it was good. A year and a half later, rival publisher Fawcett Publications published Bill Parker and C.C. Beck’s Captain Marvel, and Harry Donenfeld said it was not good. He deemed it too close to Superman and launched what would become a 13-year-long lawsuit to stop Captain Marvel from ever being published again. The case was finally settled out of court and Fawcett agreed to cease publication of Captain Marvel and his family—forever. And so, fans in 1965 heard of Captain Marvel, and read in fanzines that he was the only super-hero to have outsold Superman, but we never read his stories, as they had simply disappeared, the way Cuban cigars had in America circa 1962. Only the pleading of a man of the esteemed stature of social cartoonist Jules Feiffer could get DC Comics to “unsettle the settlement” sufficiently to allow him to reprint a “Captain Marvel” adventure in his book purely for historical and educational purposes. And he did it… with the legal caveat that he could only reprint one page out of the 13-year run of “The Big Red Cheese,” who had appeared in such comic book titles as Whiz Comics, Captain Marvel Adventures, Special Edition Comics, The Marvel Family, Captain Marvel Jr., Master Comics, Wow Comics, Xmas Comics, Gift Comics, America’s Greatest Comics, Fawcett’s Funny Animals, and even George Pal’s Puppetoons. But that one page was more than just an eye-opener. It was the tease that set me on a quest to read every Captain Marvel comic book ever made, to learn the entire history of this character and Fawcett Publications, and to meet the people who were responsible for it all. And I did. But that’s another, longer story. On this one page in 1965, I learned Cap first appeared in a comic book called Whiz Comics… that Captain Marvel was just a plain young boy like me who was granted magic super-powers by a guy who looked like I thought Moses looked like, who had a magic word “Shazam!,” and who seemed to get his powers from a lightning bolt, and who transform into an adult super-hero! My first thought: “This guy’s nothing like Superman!” He had a flap on his chest like Blackhawk. He looked sort of like Fred MacMurray, the actor who starred in The Absent-Minded Professor and Son of Flubber for Walt Disney and was on TV every week in My Three Sons. He had a lightning bolt insignia like The Flash. He had boots like Captain America’s. His uniform was colored red like Ant-Man’s. He was connected to a lightning bolt like Johnny Thunder. And he had a cape like… like… the guy in the marching band at one of those military colleges. I saw connections everywhere, but none to Superman. And then I learned he came before all the above… except for Fred MacMurray, Superman, and maybe that tuba player.

A Flash Of Flash This single “Captain Marvel” page from the origin story in Whiz Comics #2 (Jan. 1940), as reprinted in Jules Feiffer’s seminal and influential 1965 book The Great Comic Book Heroes, was all that was needed to pique the interests of young fans like Michael Uslan, who until then had been unfamiliar with CM’s success from 1940-53. For one brief moment, the title of the comic had been intended as Flash Comics—but DC beat Fawcett to that one! [Shazam heroes TM & © DC Comics.]

The true magic that day for me was not in the word “Shazam!” It was in my first look at Captain Marvel on that one-page pedestal in the holy place known as The Great Comic Book Heroes. In the words of Fawcett’s Mary Marvel: “Wow!” —Michael Uslan

“The Giant Earth Dreamer” I was approaching my eleventh birthday, and found myself wandering through a “five-and-ten” in Jamaica, New York. I had a couple of dollars in my pocket, including a counterfeit dollar bill that someone had passed to me, and I decided to risk time in a federal prison by spending the phony dollar instead of turning it in at the nearest FBI office. Oh, and I got away with it! I “purchased” Captain Marvel Adventures #52 (dated Jan. 1946). The cover illustration showed Captain Marvel delivering a punch to a startled (giant) individual with pop eyes, shaggy hair,

Captain Marvel: A 75-Year Anniversary Tribute

guaranteed another 10,000 years. Cap then wishes himself back to Professor Thinkler’s laboratory. The Professor explains that he has improved on his theory. He tells Captain Marvel that he—Thinkler—had dreamed up the giant, who in turn had dreamed up our universe. And in the end, Billy Batson wakes up in his own bed, having dreamed up Professor Thinkler. Oh, it was enough to make a tenyear-old’s mind spin. I still love it! —Richard A. Lupoff

“The Return Of Mr. Tawny” I have a strong sentimental attachment to Captain Marvel Adventures #91 (Dec. 1948), with “Captain Marvel and the Chameleon Stone” on the cover, because it was the first Golden Age comic book that I owned. After reading Roy [Thomas]’s “One Man’s Family” article in Alter Ego #7 (1964), I was eager to see what an actual comic book starring Captain Marvel was like. Somehow, I managed to scrape together $3.00 to buy CMA #91 from a dealer in RBCC, no easy feat given my minuscule allowance. I read and reread that issue, loving every bit of it. I wrote a review of the issue for my fledgling fanzine Super-Heroes Anonymous #2 (1965).

Dream On!

At the time, I didn’t realize that the post-war “CM” stories were generally superior to those published during WWII, due to poor quality printing (with awful color registration) and often mediocre art. Also, chief CM scribe Otto Binder’s scripts improved steadily after his first story in CMA #9 (April 1942), “Captain Marvel Saves the King.” The whimsical quality that made his stories unique really came to the fore after the end of the war, never more so than in Binder’s stories of Mr. Tawny, the talking tiger. Mr. Tawny’s first appearance in CMA #79 (Dec. 1947) explained how the anthropomorphic tiger made his way from the jungles of Africa to America, and was befriended by Captain Marvel. But it’s the follow-up to that story that I consider the more memorable.

Virtually anything was possible in “Captain Marvel” tales, and sometimes things were even downright trippy, enough to make 10-year-old Richard Lupoff’s mind spin—such as when he first read Otto Binder’s “Captain Marvel and the Earth Dreamer” in Captain Marvel Adventures #52 (Jan.-Feb. 1946); art by C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza. [Shazam hero TM & © DC Comics.]

and a scraggly beard. This was long before the hippie era; such hirsute adornment in those days was generally attributed to hermits or farmers, and the individual on the receiving end of Captain Marvel’s sock was clearly the latter. Inside the comic book was the cover and lead story, “Captain Marvel Battles the Giant Earth Dreamer,” written by the great Otto Oscar Binder and illustrated by C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza. The tale opens with Billy Batson reading a news story about a Professor Plato Q. Thinkler, who believes that our entire universe is the product of a dream by a giant dozing in a fourth dimensional mega-universe. Just as the scale of the mega-universe is far larger than ours, so is its time-dimension, and the giant’s nap of a few hours has lasted for 10,000 years of “our” time. Captain Marvel visits Professor Thinkler, who warns him that the giant earth-dreamer may wake up at any moment, which event would spell the end of our universe. It would be painless, Thinkler warns Captain Marvel. Just—poof!—and we’ll be gone. In order to save the universe, Captain Marvel tries to wish himself into the mega-universe. And since this is all a dream, anything can happen—and it does! Captain Marvel tries various methods of getting the giant dreamer to sleep soundly, and when he succeeds (by knocking a tree onto him) our universe is

You’ll Believe a Tiger Can Talk Learning Mr. Tawny’s backstory helped Bill Schelly believe that a tiger could talk in “The Return of Mr. Tawny” (Captain Marvel Adventures #82, March 1948) by Otto Binder, C.C. Beck, and Pete Costanza—the second of the beloved 26-episode series-within-a-series. [Shazam hero & Tawny Tiger TM & © DC Comics.]