Issuu

Plus:

5.95

In the the USA USA In

No. 14 April 2002

Roy Thomas ’ All-St All-Star ar Comics anzine Comics F F anzine

TwoMorrows Publishing Update 15%

SAVE

SUMMER 2011

WHE N YO ORD U ONL ER INE!

BACK ISSUE #51

BACK ISSUE #53

BACK ISSUE #54

• Digital Editions available: $2.95-$3.95! • Back Issue & Alter Ego now with color! • Lower international shipping rates!

(NOW WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “AllInterview Issue”! Part 2 of an exclusive STEVE ENGLEHART interview (continued from ALTER EGO #103)! “Pro2Pro” interviews between SIMONSON & LARSEN, MOENCH & WEIN, and comics letterers KLEIN & CHIANG. Plus JOHN OSTRANDER, MICHAEL USLAN, and longtime DC color artist ADRIENNE ROY! Cover by Englehart collaborator MARSHALL ROGERS!

“Gods!” Takes an in-depth look at WALTER SIMONSON’s Thor, the Thunder God in the Bronze Age, “Pro2Pro” interview with TOM DeFALCO and RON FRENZ, Hercules: Prince of Power, Moondragon, Three Ways to End the New Gods Saga, exclusive interview with fantasy writer MICHAEL MOORCOCK, art and commentary by GERRY CONWAY, JACK KIRBY, BOB LAYTON, and more, with a swingin’ Thor cover by SIMONSON!

“Liberated Ladies” eyeing female characters that broke barriers in the Bronze Age: Big Barda, Valkyrie, Ms. Marvel, Phoenix, Savage She-Hulk, and the sword-wielding Starfire. Plus a “Pro2Pro” interview with JILL THOMPSON, GAIL SIMONE, and BARBARA KESEL, art and commentary by JOHN BYRNE, GEORGE PEREZ, JACK KIRBY, MIKE VOSBURG, and more, with a new cover by BRUCE TIMM!

ORDER AT: www.twomorrows.com

(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital edition) $2.95

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95 • Ships Nov. 2011

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95 • Ships Jan. 2012

THE BEST IN COMICS AND LEGO MAGAZINES!

ALTER EGO #105

ALTER EGO #106

ALTER EGO #107

ALTER EGO #108

DRAW! #22

See comic art and script BEFORE and AFTER the Comics Code changes, with art by SIMON & KIRBY, DITKO, BUSCEMA, SINNOTT, GOULD, COLE, STERANKO, KRIGSTEIN, O’NEIL, GLANZMAN, ORLANDO, WILLIAMSON, HEATH, and others! Plus: FCA, Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, BILL SCHELLY, JIM AMASH interviews Timely/Atlas artist CAL MASSEY, and a new cover by JOSH MEDORS!

DICK GIORDANO through the 1960s—from freelance years and Charlton “Action-Heroes” to his first stint at DC! Art by DITKO, APARO, BOYETTE, MORISI, McLAUGHLIN, GIL KANE, and others, Dick’s final convention panel with STEVE SKEATES and ROY THOMAS, JIM AMASH interviews Charlton artist TONY TALLARICO, FCA with MARC SWAYZE and ROY ALD, MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, BILL SCHELLY, GIORDANO cover, and more!

Big BATMAN issue, with an unused Golden Age cover by DICK SPRANG! SHEL DORF interviews SPRANG and JIM MOONEY, with rare and unseen Batman art by BOB KANE, JERRY ROBINSON, WIN MORTIMER, SHELLY MOLDOFF, CHARLES PARIS, and others! Part II of the TONY TALLARICO interview by JIM AMASH! Plus FCA, MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, BILL SCHELLY, and more!

1970s Bullpenner WARREN REECE talks about Marvel Comics and working with EVERETT, BURGOS, ROMITA, STAN LEE, MARIE SEVERIN, ADAMS, FRIEDRICH, ROY THOMAS, and others, with rare art! DEWEY CASSELL spotlights Golden Age artist MIKE PEPPE, with art by TOTH, ANDRU, TUSKA, CELARDO, & LUBBERS, plus FCA, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY, cover by EVERETT & BURGOS, and more!

Interview with inker SCOTT WILLIAMS from his days at Marvel and Image to his work with JIM LEE, and PATRICK OLIFFE demos how he produces Spider-Girl, Mighty Samson, and digital comics. Also, MIKE MANLEY and BRET BLEVINS’ “Comic Art Bootcamp”, a “Rough Critique” of a newcomer’s work by BOB McLEOD, art supply reviews by “Crusty Critic” JAMAR NICHOLAS, and more!

(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95 • Ships Oct. 2011

(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95 • Ships Dec. 2011

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95 • Ships Jan. 2012

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95 • Ships March 2012

(84-page magazine with COLOR) $7.95 (Digital Edition) $2.95 • Ships Feb. 2012

LEE & KIRBY: THE WONDER YEARS (KIRBY COLLECTOR #58)

Special double-size book examines the first decade of the FANTASTIC FOUR, and the events that put into motion the Marvel Age of Comics! New interviews with STAN LEE, FLO STEINBERG, MARK EVANIER, JOE SINNOTT, and others, with a wealth of historical information and Kirby artwork!

(128-page tabloid trade paperback) $19.95 (Digital Edition) $5.95 • Ships Nov. 2011 (Subscribers: counts as two issues)

KIRBY COLLECTOR #59

BRICKJOURNAL #17

BRICKJOURNAL #18

BRICKJOURNAL #19

“Kirby Vault!” Rarities from the “King” of comics: Personal correspondence, private photos, collages, rare Marvelmania art, bootleg album covers, sketches, transcript of a 1969 VISIT TO THE KIRBY HOME (where Jack answers the questions YOU’D ask in ‘69), MARK EVANIER, pencil art from the FOURTH WORLD, CAPTAIN AMERICA, MACHINE MAN, SILVER SURFER GRAPHIC NOVEL, and more!

LEGO SPACE WAR issue! A STARFIGHTER BUILDING LESSON by Peter Reid, WHY SPACE MARINES ARE SO POPULAR by Mark Stafford, a trip behind the scenes of LEGO’S NEW ALIEN CONQUEST SETS that hit store shelves earlier this year, plus JARED K. BURKS’ column on MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATION, building tips, event reports, our step-by-step “YOU CAN BUILD IT” INSTRUCTIONS, and more!

Go to Japan with articles on two JAPANESE LEGO FAN EVENTS, plus take a look at JAPAN’S SACRED LEGO LAND, Nasu Highland Park—the site of the BrickFan events and a pilgrimage site for many Japanese LEGO fans. Also, a feature on JAPAN’S TV CHAMPIONSHIP OF LEGO, a look at the CLICKBRICK LEGO SHOPS in Japan, plus how to get into TECHNIC BUILDING, LEGO EDUCATION, and more!

LEGO EVENTS ISSUE covering our own BRICKMAGIC FESTIVAL, BRICKWORLD, BRICKFAIR, BRICKCON, plus other events outside the US. There’s full event details, plus interviews with the winners of the BRICKMAGIC CHALLENGE competition, complete with instructions to build award winning models. Also JARED K. BURKS’ regular column on minifigure customizing, building tips, and more!

(84-page tabloid magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95 • Ships Feb. 2012

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95 • Ships Dec. 2011

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95 • Ships Feb. 2012

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95 • Ships April 2012

Vol. 3, No. 14 / April 2002

™

Editor Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly, Jim Amash

Design & Layout Christopher Day

Consulting Editors John Morrow Jon B. Cooke

FCA Editor P.C. Hamerlinck

Comics Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert

Editors Emeritus Jerry Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White, Mike Friedrich

Cover Artists Mike Nasser & Steve Leialoha Michael T. Gilbert

Cover Colorists Tom Ziuko & Michael T. Gilbert

Mailing Crew Russ Garwood, Glen Musial, Ed Stelli, Pat Varker, Loston Wallace

And Special Thanks to: Pedro Angosto Jeff Bailey Brian H. Bailie Bill Black Ray Bottorff Jr. Jerry K. Boyd Jack Burnley Glen Cadigan James Cavenaugh Gerry Conway Mike Cruden Mike Curtis Ray A. Cuthbert Fred W. DeBoom Craig & David Delich Al Dellinges Jay Disbrow Ric Estrada Mark Evanier Ryan Farnsworth Stephen Fishler Creig Flessel Keif Fromm Keith Giffen David G. Hamilton Paul Handler Irwin Hasen Mark & Stephanie Heike Carmine Infantino Fred Jandt Jim Korkis Thomas Lammers Jim Lee Paul Levitz Russ Maheras Scott McAdam

Christopher McGlothlin Ralph Ellis Miley/ New Creation Al Milgrom Sheldon Moldoff Matt Moring Mart & Carrie Nodell Michelle Nolan Eric NolenWeathington Jerry Ordway Bob Overstreet Carlos Pacheco Chris Pedrin Ian Penman Peter C. Phillips Ginny Provisiero Charlie Roberts Ethan Roberts Julius Schwartz Dez Skinn Robin Snyder Joe & Hilarie Staton Marc Swayze Joel Thingvall Dann Thomas Alex Toth Dr. Michael J. Vassallo Nikki Vrtis Hames Ware Len Wein Marv Wolfman Ed Zeno Mike Zeno

In Memoriam:Chase Craig & Dan DeCarlo

Contents Writer/Editorial: ...And Justice Society for All! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 All the Stars There Are in (Super-hero) Heaven! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The 1970s JSA revival—a guided tour by Conway, Levitz, Estrada, Giffen, Milgrom, & Staton.

Inking Comics the ORDway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Pardon the bad pun! Jerry Ordway on inking/embellishing the early All-Star Squadron.

Welcome to Fandomland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Bill Schelly tells how comic fandom changed his life in the 1960s.

re: [a letter of response from veteran artist Carmine Infantino] . . . 35 Tributes to Craig Chase and Dan DeCarlo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) #73 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 P.C. Hamerlinck presents Marc Swayze, C.C. Beck—& Jay Disbrow.

All-Star Comics in the 1940s––plus Fox and Elias. . . . . . . . . Flip Us! About Our Cover: In 1977 Craig Delich assembled (and his brother David published) The All-Star Comics Revue, an 88-page celebration of the JSA up to that point. It sported a gorgeous cover penciled by Mike Nasser (now Mike Netzer) and inked by Steve Leialoha, which all associated with it have given us their blessing to use as one of this issue’s covers— including copyright owner James Cavenaugh. Thanks, guys! We figured it was high time this nice piece of art was seen in color again! [Art ©2002 James Cavenaugh; JSA © & TM 2002 DC Comics.] Above: Everybody’s present and accounted for but Superman, in this Joe Staton/Bob Layton panel from the JSA’s first-ever origin in 1977’s DC Special #29. Reproduced from photocopies of the original art, courtesy of Brian H. Bailie. [©2002 DC Comics.] Alter EgoTM is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows, 1812 Park Drive, Raleigh, NC 27605, USA. Phone: (919) 833-8092. Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: Rt. 3, Box 468, St. Matthews, SC 29135, USA. Fax: (803) 826-6501; e-mail: roydann@ntinet.com. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Single issues: $8 ($10.00 Canada, $11.00 elsewhere). Eight-issue subscriptions: $40 US, $80 Canada, $88 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 Canada. FIRST PRINTING.

writer/editorial

...and Justice Society For All! Just when you thought that everything had been said about past incarnations of the Justice Society of America that was worth saying, this issue of Alter Ego comes along—and if it doesn’t prove you wrong, then you and I are on definitely different wavelengths, friend. You even get a choice of which decades to start in—the 1940s or the 1970s and ’80s! If, attracted by the brand new, tongue-firmly-in-cheek JSA cover drawn by Michael T. Gilbert, you read our Golden Age-centered “flip” section first, you already know there’s a wealth of art and information there, much of it—such as five pages from the unpublished 1945 story “The Will of William Wilson”—never before seen by more than a handful of collectors and their intimate pals since the ’40s. If, on the other hand, you were drawn to this issue by the beautifully garish primary hues of a JSA illustration penciled by Mike Nasser and inked by Steve Leialoha a quarter of a century ago, then welcome to the “Bronze Age and Beyond” features on this side of the four-color tracks. It may seem strange to have skipped the so-called Silver Age, circa the 1960s, this time around. But, a year or so back, we devoted beaucoup pages to the classic JLA-JSA team-ups that ran from 1963-85. “Crises on Finite Earths” in A/E V3#7 had originally been prepared as a chapter for our nearly out-of-print 2000 book AllStar Companion, but had been dropped at the last minute to keep the book at just over 200 pages. For the A/E version, I added short interviews with most of the team-ups’ writers.

questions and volunteer anecdotes and information about that “brief shining moment” from 1976 to 1979. The first two responded via e-mail, while talks with Estrada, Giffen, and Staton were transcribed by Brian K. Morris—and I scribbled down a few notes after phoning Al Milgrom (who in the ’70s became the youngest addition to a poker-playing circle that included John Romita, Sol Brodsky, Mike Esposito, Stan Goldberg, Al Sulman, and Yours Truly). We suspect that even the 1970s-era collector who owns all 24 “revival” issues—which includes the first-ever origin done for the JSA—will learn quite a few things he never knew or even suspected. What’s more: thanks in particular to a trio of collectors with coincidentally similar surnames— Bails, Bailey, and Bailie, believe it or don’t!—and one Fred DeBoom, we’ve been able to illustrate many of our points with panels reproduced from the original art. As an extra bonus, A/E’s coassociate editor, Jim Amash, owns the better of the series’ two Wally Wood covers, and artist Jim Lee owns Neal Adams’ cover for the JSA origin—both of which are reprinted herein for the first time from the original art.

One rainy night in late 1940, a year before America entered World War II after Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt decides to enlist the aid of the mystery men who have popped up since 1938—to save Great Britain from a Nazi invasion. From the JSA’s origin in DC Special #29 (Aug.-Sept. 1977). Reproduced from photocopies of the original Joe Staton/Bob Layton art, courtesy of Brian H. Bailie. Brian is an illustrator for NASA at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and is founder of "The Cosmic Treadmill," an online chat forum dedicated to the pre-Crisis DC Universe, esp. the Golden and Silver Ages; the latter is up and running every Wednesday night from 8:00 to 9:00 PM EST. Log onto AOL and type in the Keyword CHATDC and just click on the Chat Room. [©2002 DC Comics.]

But that still left sadly unprinted the chapter I’d prepared for the Companion about the Justice Society/AllStar Comics revival during the latter half of the 1970s. I promised that, one of these days, Alter Ego would print that chapter. And now we have—with a vengeance.

For, just as with the JLA-JSA team-ups, we interviewed many of the major people connected with the 1970s JSA return, most of whom are happily alive and well. Writers/editors Gerry Conway and Paul Levitz, story artists Ric Estrada, Keith Giffen, and Joe Staton, and cover penciler Al Milgrom all generously gave of their time to answer

Also, because people keep requesting it (and evidently reading its predecessors), here’s another installment of the story behind All-Star Squadron, the JSA-related series I conceived and wrote in the ’80s. This segment consists of nothing less than an interview with Jerry Ordway, now a well-known writer and penciler as well, but in 1981 the original inker/embellisher of Rich Buckler’s art on the series.

All this, plus the usual and always-entertaining ten-page FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) section, and a brief excerpt from Bill Schelly’s new book Sense of Wonder: A Life in Comics Fandom, should make this issue of Alter Ego one of the liveliest ever! And if you think now we’ve finally exhausted the subject of the vintage Justice Society of America with all these pages—just stick around for a few months! Bestest,

NOW 8 BIG TIMES A YEAR!

Lucky

COMING IN JUNE

™

SPECIAL TRIBUTE ISSUE!

JOHN BUSCEMA One of comics’ greatest artists remembered—by those who knew and revered him! Conan TM Conan Properties, Inc. • Art © John Buscema

• Two powerful full-color JOHN BUSCEMA covers! • BUSCEMA interview conducted in 2001 by MARK EVANIER! • Never-before-seen art by JOHN BUSCEMA for Marvel, DC, and beyond! • Reminiscences of John by SAL BUSCEMA, STAN GOLDBERG, STAN LEE, JOHN ROMITA, GENE COLAN, MARIE SEVERIN, CARMINE INFANTINO, JOE KUBERT, HERB TRIMPE, JERRY ORDWAY, FLO STEINBERG & others! • ROY THOMAS on 35 years of collaboration with “BIG JOHN” on Avengers, Sub-Mariner, Conan, Fantastic Four, The Wizard of Oz—and JLA: Barbarians! • A special FCA tribute to another departed giant—KURT SCHAFFENBERGER! • Plus: FCA section with C.C. BECK & MARC SWAYZE—BILL SCHELLY on GRASS GREEN—and MICHAEL T. GILBERT revisits WALLY WOOD! Edited by ROY THOMAS • Now 108 PAGES for the same price! SUBSCRIBE NOW! Eight Issues in the US: $40 Standard, $64 First Class (Canada: $80, Elsewhere: $88 Surface, $120 Airmail).

TwoMorrows. Bringing New Life To Comics Fandom. TwoMorrows • 1812 Park Drive • Raleigh, NC 27605 USA • 919-833-8092 • FAX: 919-833-8023 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com

Submit Something To Alter Ego! Alter Ego is on the lookout for items that can be utilized in upcoming issues: • Convention Sketches and Program Books • Unpublished Artwork • Original Scripts (the older the better!) • Photos • Unpublished Interviews • Little-seen Fanzine Material We’re also interested in articles, article ideas, or any other suggestions... and we pay off in FREE COPIES of A/E. (If you’re already an A/E subscriber, we’ll extend your subscription.) Contact: Roy Thomas, Editor Rt. 3, Box 468 St. Matthews, SC 29135 Fax: (803)826-6501 • E-mail: roydann@ntinet.com (NEW E-mail)

Submission Guidelines Submit artwork in one of these forms (in order of preference): 1) Clear color or black-&-white photocopies. 2) Scanned images—300ppi TIF (preferred) or JPEG (on Zip or floppy disk). 3) Originals (carefully packed and insured). Submit text in one of these forms: 1) E-mail (ASCII text attachments preferred) to: roydann@ntinet.com (NEW) 2) An ASCII or “plain text” file, supplied on floppy disk. 3) Typed, xeroxed, or laser printed pages.

Advertise In Alter Ego! FULL-PAGE: 7.5" Wide x 10" Tall • $300 HALF-PAGE: 7.5" Wide x 4.875" Tall • $175 QUARTER-PAGE: 3.75" Wide x 4.875" Tall • $100

The TwoMorrows Two-Fer! Prepay for two ads in Comic Book Artist, Alter Ego, Comicology, or any combination and these discounts apply: TWO FULL-PAGE ADS: $500 ($100 savings) TWO HALF-PAGE ADS: $300 ($50 savings) TWO QUARTER-PAGE ADS: $175 ($25 savings) The above rates are for black-&-white ads, supplied on-disk (TIF, EPS, or Quark Xpress files acceptable) or as cameraready art. Typesetting service available at 20% mark-up. Due to our already low ad rates, no agency discounts apply. Sorry, display ads are not available for the Jack Kirby Collector. Send ad copy and check/money order (US funds) payable to: TwoMorrows 1812 Park Drive Raleigh, NC 27605 Phone: (919)833-8092 Fax: (919)833-8023 E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com

We also accept VISA and MASTERCARD! Include card number and expiration date.

All The Stars There Are In (Super-Hero) Heaven!

There Are In Super-Hero Heaven! The 1970s Justice Society Revival—All-Starring the Original Cast! by Roy Thomas Special thanks to Michelle Nolan, Eric Nolen-Weathington, and Ray Bottorff Jr. for providing the All-Star and Adventure covers. I was there for the conception—but that’s just about it. In 1975 Gerry Conway, scripter of several of Marvel Comics’ major titles, left that company and became a writer/editor for DC. Gerry and I had already been friends for over half a decade, so it was only natural that, one evening early that year, at his apartment on Manhattan’s West Side, we started kicking around some ideas for new projects he could initiate at DC. Gerry had plenty of his own concepts, of course—but, on a whim, I suggested a revival of All-Star Comics.

printed on the revived All-Star’s first letters page; I figured that wouldn’t ruffle too many feathers back at Marvel. All-Star Comics #58 hit the newsstands in autumn of 1975, and became a reasonably popular if not best-selling title. In February 1976 Stan Lee asked me to become Marvel’s editor-inchief again—the post I’d held from 1972-74. I agreed, but (after a week’s vacation in sunny L.A. convinced me I’d rather move to California instead) I soon reneged, and suggested to Stan that he offer Gerry the job. He did, and Gerry very briefly became Marvel’s editor-in-chief in between Marv Wolfman and Archie Goodwin... and, even when he decided the job was not to his liking after all, he continued to write exclusively for Marvel for some months.

In those days, the fabled Justice Society appeared only in annual guest-shots in Justice League of America, and were assumed to dwell on “Earth-Two,” an other-dimensional world that existed parallel to that of the JLA. I reasoned, why not give the JSA their own title again, tapping into that exposure? (Of course, what I really wanted, as a fan of All-Star Comics from 1945 through the end in 1950, was just to see the guys return in their own mag instead of in one story a year.)

With Gerry’s departure from DC in early ’76, Paul Levitz, his assistant editor who had already dialogued a bit of JSA material, became All-Star’s new writer. He continued as scripter for the remainder of AllStar’s ’70s run, which culminated with #74 (Sept.-Oct. 1978)—and included the Justice Society’s never-before-told origin, unveiled in DC Special #29 in 1977—and which then continued in Adventure Comics #461-466 in 1979, at which point the JSA “died” with the decade that had seen its revival.

Gerry sparked to the idea and, for good or ill, from that point on I had no more to do with it. (How could I? I was under exclusive contract to Marvel, and probably shouldn’t even have suggested the idea in the first place!) Well, actually, I did send, at Gerry’s request, comments to be

The following is a brief overview of the JSA’s career during the Gerry Ford and Jimmy Carter years, punctuated by short interviews given by both of the series’ writers and by all three of its surviving pencilers. (The great Wally Wood, alas, died in 1981.) We greatly appreciate the time

The Justice Society returned after a twelve-year hiatus in The Flash #137 (June 1963). Two months later they guest-starred in Justice League of America #21, the first of many annual JLA-JSA team-ups—which led eventually to a full-scale All-Star revival in 1975-76! Repro’d from photocopies of the original Infantino/Giella art, courtesy of Jerry Bails. [©2002 DC Comics.]

The 1970s Justice Society Revival these five gents spent with us via e-mail and telephone; and while their comments have been edited slightly for space, we’ve made every effort not to put words into their mouths—or to take too many out. What we have, I believe, is both a bird’s-eye and microscopic viewpoint of two dozen 1970s comics which are more fondly remembered, and which have left a more lasting legacy, than 90% of what was published during that era and since...

I. The All-Star Issues (and an Awesome Secret Origin) All-Star Comics #58 (Jan-Feb. 1976) “All Star Super Squad” – 18 pp. Cover: Mike Grell Writer: Gerry Conway Artists: Ric Estrada & Wally Wood [see Estrada interview]

NOTES: (a) Brainwave (Brain Wave in 1940s All-Stars) has a new body and look. (b) Though Star-Spangled Kid says he “belong(s) in the 1950s,” his original stories actually ran from 1941-48; he’d returned in 1972, with the rest of The Seven Soldiers of Victory, in Justice League of America #100-102. (d) Though listed in the roll call, SSK and Power Girl are not JSAers in this issue; indeed, this is Power Girl’s debut. (e) SSK henceforth uses Starman’s Cosmic Rod, borrowed from Ted Knight; (f) The issue’s “All-Star Comments” letters page includes pre-solicited missives from longtime JSA fans Roy Thomas and Jerry Bails. (g) From #58-65 All-Star covers feature a smallish “Justice Society” logo plus a larger “Super Squad” one, plus the main All-Star Comics logo; “SuperSquad” was usually hyphenated in the stories. (h) The splash-page logo from #58-65 will read “The All Star Super Squad,” with no interior JSA logo. (i) This is the first All-Star cover ever to feature a Justice Society logo of any kind. (j) All-Star #58-59 were reprinted in the DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest, Vol. 1, #3 (July-August 1980). All-Star Comics #59 (March-April 1976)

JSAers Participating: Flash, Hawkman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Wildcat, Dr. Fate, Green Lantern, Robin (plus Star-Spangled Kid and Power Girl)

“Brainwave Blows Up!” – 18 pp. Cover: Ernie Chan (as “Ernie Chua”) Writer: Gerry Conway (“with an assist from Paul Levitz”) Artists: Ric Estrada (“designer”) & Wally Wood (“artist”)

THE STORY: Brainwave tries to destroy Seattle, Capetown, and Peking (Beijing) to gain revenge on the JSA, who are joined by Robin, Star-Spangled Kid, and newcomer Power Girl (Superman’s cousin) as a younger “Super-Squad.”

JSAers Participating: Same as in preceding issue THE STORY: The JSA prevents Brainwave and his ally Per Degaton from pulling the Earth from its orbit.

NOTES: (a) Degaton, with a new look and hair color, is treated as the “greatest [scientific] genius of all time,” a trait not consistent with his 1940s persona. (b) At story’s end, Star-Spangled Kid and Power Girl are accepted into the JSA as [©2002 DC Comics.] a youthful “Super-Squad” adjunct which includes Robin—though the Boy Wonder will not appear again until issue #67, as he is featured in a new Teen Titans comic. All-Star Comics #60 (May-June 1976) “Vulcan: Son of Fire!” – 17 pp. Cover: Ernie Chan (as “Ernie Chua”) Writer: Gerry Conway Artists: Keith Giffen & Wally Wood [see Giffen interview] JSAers Participating: Power Girl, Flash, Wildcat, Star-Spangled Kid, Green Lantern, Dr. Fate THE STORY: The destruction of Vulcan Probe One, a 200-day mission to orbit the sun, turns astronaut Christopher Pike into a cosmic-axewielding super-villain who menaces the Earth.

Ye Editor confesses he winced when he saw that the cover of All-Star #58, the very first revival issue, showed four JSAers sprawling, defeated, while three upstart youngsters rush to save them—but it was lovely Mike Grell art! Original art repro’d from a black-&-white copy in Amazing World of DC Comics #6 (May 1975). [©2002 DC Comics.]

NOTES: (a) Alan (GL) Scott is revealed to be having economic problems as head of Gotham Broadcasting. (b) Layout penciler Ric Estrada, replaced by newcomer Keith Giffen, is announced as having moved on “to new heights in Blackhawk.” Main text continued on p. 9

All The Stars There Are In (Super-Hero) Heaven! Adventure Comics #464 (July-Aug. 1979) “To Everything There Is a Season...” – 8 pp. Cover: Jim Aparo (no depiction of JSA) Writer: Paul Levitz Artist: Joe Staton THE STORY: Wildcat, both in costume and as ex-heavyweight champ Ted Grant, helps an African-American boy, Charlie Bullock, then leaves the JSA to concentrate on helping others. Instead, they vanish.

NOTES: (a) Wildcat is the only JSAer who appears in costume in this humaninterest story, though Huntress, Power Girl, and Robin appear in their civilian identities. (b) Wildcat is depicted in one of four illos on the back cover, by José Delbo (p) & Dick Giordano (i). Adventure Comics #465 (Sept.-Oct. 1979) “Countdown to Disaster!” – 16 pp. Cover: Jim Aparo (six JSAers’ heads shown) Writer: Paul Levitz Artists: Joe Staton (p) & Dave Hunt (i) JSAers Participating: Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Huntress, Power Girl, Dr. Fate

NOTES: (a) The Senator who heads the Committee is unnamed, but is obviously intended to be Sen. Joseph McCarthy; in 1985’s America vs. the Justice Society #1, the name of McCarthy’s Earth-Two equivalent is retroactively given as “O’Fallon.” (b) This is the only 1970s JSA story in All-Star or Adventure in which The Atom and Black Canary play an active part. (c) The JSA are not shown on the cover, but their story is mentioned, as “The Man Who Defeated the Justice Society!” (d) The “Justice Society of America” logo from DC Special #29 is restored on the splash.

Near the end of 1979 the decision was made to drop the “Dollar Comics” line, including that version of Adventure Comics... and one of DC’s oldest continuing titles now shrank ignominiously into a digestsized mag which mostly reprinted stories of The Legion of Super-heroes, Aquaman, the Simon & Kirby Sandman, and even occasional Fawcettera exploits of the original Captain Marvel. Adventure Comics, even in digest form, was finally discontinued with issue #503 in 1983. By that time, the heroes of the Justice Society of America had returned—as part and parcel of the series I had conceived in 1980-81, All-Star Squadron, which was set during the (comic book) glory days of the Second World War. Old super-heroes, like old soldiers, never die. They just get redefined. [ROY THOMAS, who as Alter Ego’s editor rarely includes a mini-bio of himself at the end of articles herein, has been a writer and sometime editor in comics since 1965, mostly for Marvel and DC... and counts the 1940-1951 run of All-Star as the comic books which have had by far the most influence on him.]

THE STORY: The JSA must fight the clock to recover a stolen capsule of deadly poison that otherwise will devastate Gotham City. NOTES: Mr. Terrific appears in the one-page “Epilogue” to rejoin the JSA just in time for their “regular visit” with the JLA in Justice League of America #171-172; alas, Mr. T. will perish in the first of those issues. Adventure Comics #466 (Nov.-Dec. 1979) “The Defeat of the Justice Society!” – 17 pp. Cover: Jim Aparo (JSA not shown) Writer: Paul Levitz Artist: Joe Staton JSAers Participating: Hawkman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Atom, Green Lantern, Flash, Black Canary, Wonder Woman, Power Girl, Huntress (and, on splash only: Superman, Star-Spangled Kid, Wildcat, Starman, Dr. Fate, Sandman, Robin) THE STORY: The Huntress tells Power Girl why the JSA went inactive in 1951. Flashback reveals that, after a harrowing adventure in space, the seven then-members refused to reveal their true identities to the Combined Congressional Un-American Activities Committee. [Above covers ©2002 DC Comics.]

Seven JSAers make a decision—and “respectfully decline” to unmask for an oppressive Congressional Committee in 1951, going into retirement instead. A real downer, yet somehow a fitting “end” for the Justice Society, the first time around. From Adventure #466. [©2002 DC Comics.]

All-Star Squadron Chronicles Part IV

Chronicles

Part IV

Inking Comics The ORDway

An Interview with JERRY ORDWAY on the Early Days of All-Star Squadron Conducted by Roy Thomas As Monty Python didn’t say: “And now for something just a wee bit different...” The three preceding installments of these Chronicles of the creation and roots of the All-Star Squadron series I conceived and wrote for DC Comics during the 1980s were all first-person accounts by Yours Truly, albeit with a few welcome comments here and there from editor Len Wein, penciler Rich Buckler, and even almost-editor Dick Giordano. This issue, with no time for fanfare (especially since our coverage of the 1970s JSA revival grew to quasi-gargantuan proportions), we’re pleased to present a short interview with Jerry Ordway, whose first ongoing professional comic art job was on DC’s retroactive-continuity super-group. We appreciate his taking a break from his current Marvel work to answer a whole passel of Roy’s questions via e-mail on January

3, 2002. Many of his comments will see print later in this series; here we’re concerned only with those that deal with AllStar Squadron #1-5 (and the mag’s 16-page Preview in Justice League of America #193), when Rich and Jerry were the art team.

Jerry Ordway renewed his fannish roots when he attended the 1997 Fandom Reunion Luncheon put together in Chicago by Bill Schelly, et al. Left to right: cartoonist Jim Engel, Jerry, and comics researcher Bob Beerbohm. (Roy T., Jerry Bails, Maggie Thompson, Tony Isabella, and a dozen or so others were there, too—and we all had a blast!!) Photo courtesy of Russ Maheras.

As related two issues ago, Rich and I had slight trepidations in 1980 when Len assigned an untried newcomer to ink the new title we were preparing... ROY THOMAS: How did you get the assignment to ink All-Star Squadron? Were you trying to get work as a penciler as well as inker? JERRY ORDWAY: Well, starting in the summer of 1980, I had done a few jobs for DC, as an inker, while still working full-time at a commercial art studio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. DC was obviously pleased with my work, and first offered me The New Teen Titans to ink, but I passed, as I wasn’t ready to quit my day job. Later, in December of that year, I made a trip to New York City to attend an illustration seminar held by Bob Peak, Mark English, Bernie Fuchs, and Fred Otnes, top illustrators of their time. In between art workshops, I went to see [DC editors] Len Wein and Karen Berger, my contacts at DC. They convinced me to try comics full-time, which I agreed to, providing I could eventually get penciling assignments instead of inking. Working with you, Roy, was a big factor in taking on AllStar Squadron, as I was a huge fan of your Since Dick Giordano inked the “interior cover” of the 16-page Preview in JLA #193 (Sept. 1981), its “Page 1” was the first the waiting world saw of the Buckler-Ordway team. On that single page—and on vellum over “poor photocopies,” to boot—Jerry had to “embellish” a shadowed FDR, his aide Harry Hopkins, an empty JSA-HQ, Johnny (Quick) Chambers and his pal Tubby—plus a Wonder Woman/Flash/Green Lantern charity race inspired by the cover of Comic Cavalcade #1, which would go on sale in fall of 1942. (Incidentally, that 15¢ anthology’s back cover continued the front scene, revealing that Wildcat and other heroes from CC #1 were also in the race, but well behind the star trio!) Repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, in Roy’s collection. For the Buckler-Ordway version of the race’s photo finish, see A/E #12. [©2002 DC Comics.]

Inking Comics The ORDway

RT: Did it take extra time to ink so many characters in some of the panels, or would you have done the pages about as quickly anyway, just doing backgrounds instead? ORDWAY: Oh, figures take longer than a standard comic background, not counting establishing shots. I also tried hard to give each character a distinct look, using different artists’ renditions you provided me via Xeroxes of 1940s stories. I always tried to reference the way Mort Meskin, for example, drew Johnny Quick, or Kubert, Hawkman. RT: In Rich’s last issue, #5, on Page 16, he penciled and you inked Danette Reilly (the soon-to-be Firebrand) in the nude, but panties and bra lines were added at the panel in the lower left corner. Did you do this at Len’s behest, or did someone else draw them in? ORDWAY: I remember you were very specific that she was to sleep in the nude, so I tried to render the figures tastefully with shadows and such, but was told by Len that it was a Comics Code problem, so DC production drew on some very heavy undergarment lines. Sigh. I pointed out to Len that the very same month that All-Star Squadron #5 came out, Ernie Colón

When he inked Firebrand’s see-through blouse in All-Star Squadron, Jerry looked at the same 1970s Alan Light black&-white reprint of Police Comics #1 that the rest of us had! Below is a 1982 sketch of the distaff Firebrand in which he did a slight redesign of her outfit. [1982 art ©2002 Jerry Ordway; both Firebrands © & TM 2002 DC Comics.]

had drawn a warrior woman frolicking in the nude in Arak, and that passed Code! It was clear they judged the super-hero books differently. RT: I have a drawing by you of Firebrand from a very early time, but am I right in assuming that Rich designed the costume—which actually was just an adjustment on the male Firebrand in the early ’40s? ORDWAY: Rich drew her, so I assume he designed it. I always looked at what Reed Crandall did in Police Comics #1, I think, because he drew the semi-transparent shirt really well, though it was tricky to pull off, in line art. RT: What was your relationship with Len, and with me? Did we talk mostly by phone, or did you hear from me mostly via notes on the original artwork, etc.? ORDWAY: I know initially I dealt with Len, but after you had seen my pages, you started writing up page-by-page critiques of what I did right or wrong. I think after that we talked quite a bit on the phone, several times per month. For a while, though, I was definitely caught between you and Len, with loyalties to both. I think it’s all water under the bridge now, but I knew there was a fair amount of tension building between you two.

Funny Jerry should say that—because I don’t really remember much overt tension between Len and me over All-Star Squadron during the twenty issues which Len edited. Still, there was bound to have been a bit, if only because Len would have known that I preferred to be writer/editor of my own material (hey, so did he, for that matter!), but that wasn’t an option at DC or Marvel by that time. Besides, when wasn’t there at least a little friction between an editor and his creative personnel? But, more of that another time—when Len, too, can have his say.

Next: The All-Star Preview in JLA #193— under a Microscope! (Yeah, we know we promised you that this time—but who knew that Jerry Ordway was gonna have so much of interest to say about the All-Stars?

Title Comic Fandom Archive

Welcome to Fandomland How a Life-changing Odyssey Began with My Discovery of Comic Fandom in the Fall of 1964 by Bill Schelly Introduction: I’m sure regular readers of Alter Ego (and my various Hamster Press tomes) won’t be surprised when I say that the moment I first became aware of the fledgling comic fandom movement in the early 1960s ranks as one of the most important days of my life—along with the birth of my children. Here’s the story of how it happened, and how I came to publish my first fanzine, excerpted from a chapter in Sense of Wonder: A Life in Comic Fandom, my recent book from TwoMorrows Publishing. A good part of the fun of any hobby is sharing it with others of like mind. I’d been a comics fan from the moment I first laid eyes on Superman Annual #1 in 1960, and by 1964 had amassed a nice stack of back issues—mainly DCs and Marvels, with a sprinkling of Gold Key, Charlton, and ACG comics for the sake of variety. My imagination had been seized by the colorful four-color adventures that adorned their pages, and I had tried my hand at drawing them, too. My frustration, at this point, was the lack of anyone with whom to share my enthusiasm. I was basically alone with my hobby. A few neighbor kids (usually younger) had stacks of comics, and we would occasionally swap mags, but their attitude about comics was far more casual than mine. For me they were more than mere entertainment; they were a medium where I could experience a sense of wonder that was available nowhere else to me, not even at the movies.

back. (Seeing the cover of Superman #1, reproduced on the back cover of that first annual, was like viewing the Holy Grail.) I had no way to get in touch with other fans in my vicinity. I did notice that some DC Comics (Flash, Justice League of America, Green Lantern) were printing full addresses in the letter columns. Editor Julius Schwartz made this unobtrusive change to facilitate contacts between fans, but the erudite commentators in those columns seemed far too imposing for me—a mere twelve-year-old—to befriend. The same was true of the people who had letters published in Marvel’s “Fantastic Four Fan Page.” I couldn’t have held my own in a correspondence with them, and there was no hint that they could help me in my goal of filling in back issues. Besides, none of them seemed to live in Pittsburgh. Then, fortune smiled upon me, and I was off to Fandomland. No, it wasn’t a White Rabbit with comics tucked under one arm who led me to that magical new world; it was through a lanky, freckled-faced blond boy that I got my direction. One fateful day, while perusing the extensive shelves full of comics at my favorite drugstore, I noticed another set of hands pulling issues. When I checked out their owner, I was surprised to see a fellow from school named Richard Shields. I recognized him at once. We were the same age and had some of the same classes, but he ran in different circles than I did, and I had no idea he collected comics, too—until we encountered each other in that drugstore, sometime in the spring of 1964. I watched as he assembled a huge stack of Marvel, DC, and Gold Key comics. I think my opening line was, “I guess you like comics, too.” Not too

I wanted more of them, and I wanted to Covers of the 1964 Rocket’s Blast Special. [©2002 the try my hand at drawing them. I’d already respective copyright holders. Human Torch, Captain America, done so, creating my own heroes and and Sub-Mariner © & TM 2002 Marvel Characters, Inc.] villains, but none of the neighborhood kids seemed to share my fanaticism. Also, I desperately wanted to find back original, but it broke the ice. issues of my favorite comics. I hadn’t started buying Amazing SpiderMan until #7, and Fantastic Four with #21, and I wanted the earlier Richard had no qualms about buying and liking comics. “My older issues badly. I quickly got what I could from the neighborhood kids, but brother read ’em, and I do, too.” We began commenting on our selecwhere to find more of them? Sometimes a school bazaar would have a tions, and before I knew it I had a friend who shared my hobby. It table with some back issues, and I was able to score some earlier turned out Shields had amassed what to my eyes was a huge collection Batman, World’s Finest, and Detective Comics. of comics. He was mature for his age, and had a paper route that gave him plenty of spending money—making him the envy of other kids, By the early 1960s comics weren’t the same sort of mass medium including me. (My parents wouldn’t let me have a paper route; they they’d been in the 1940s, when just about every kid read them. didn’t want the neighbors thinking we needed the money!) He and I Television had made major inroads. Also, they were considered to be began getting together on a regular basis to discuss comics, negotiate reading for pre-adolescents; one tended to be secretive about liking them trades, and occasionally check out a far-flung newsstand on our bikes. once a guy got into his teens. How could I ever fill in the back issues of Marvel Comics that I had missed? It was a frustrating dilemma. After our friendship was a few months old, late in the summer of 1964, Shields pointed out a curious item in Justice League of America Nor was there any way for me to learn about comics of the past. #30: editor Schwartz had inserted a plug for some sort of magazine There weren’t any books or magazines about the history of comics. I about collecting comic books. It didn’t mention the price, but merely was solely dependent on the comic book letter columns that occasionally gave an address where those interested could send for information. We included factual tidbits about the comics published during World War II, both immediately sent away to an organization in Miami, Florida, with or the DC annuals with reproductions of old covers in color on the the cryptic name “The SFCA” to find out about something called The

Marc Swayze

290 pen I went to work on all those areas intended as solid black. The result was a lifelong interest in the back light, or reflected light, and in seeking the 3-D effect with pen, brush, and ink… in what I call line drawing. So it went with Clem. Two weeks of daily strips were completed and by foot and mail offered to every syndicate listed in Editor and Publisher. The general comment: too much like Red Ryder or the Lone Ranger. “Let us see your next try, though…” Some fun, the syndicate game. [Marc Swayze’s memoirs of his days in comics will continue next issue.]

A COMICS FANDOM LEGEND RETURNS IN MAY! ™

XAL-KOR THE HUMAN CAT PRESENTS:

FANDOM’S FAVORITE HERO IS BACK IN AN ALL-NEW 100PAGE GRAPHIC NOVELLA BY FAN LEGEND GRASS GREEN! In 1964, the HUMAN CAT saga debuted in the pages of the classic fanzine STAR-STUDDED COMICS, creating a sensation! Now, almost 40 years later, writer-artist GRASS GREEN has crafted a fantastic climax to this much-honored series, packed with ROUSING SUPER-HERO ACTION! The story: XAL-KOR awakes from 23 years of suspended animation, to find his arch-enemy QUEEN RODA and her rat legions on the brink of conquering planet Earth. Is there time for even Xal-Kor—the intrepid soldier from the cat-planet Felis—to stop Roda from turning Earth into a slave planet? Has his great love, the beautiful and sensual FELINA, survived his long absence? Get ready for shock after shock! • Inks by ANGEL GABRIELE & RON FONTES! • Introductory remarks by ROY THOMAS and JEFF GELB! • Background on the Xal-Kor series by editor BILL SCHELLY to get new readers “up to speed”! (100 page Trade Paperback, shipping in May) $14 US postpaid (Canada: $16, Elsewhere: $17 Surface, $21 Airmail).

IMPORTANT NOTE: In Summer 2001, Grass Green was diagnosed with lung cancer. All profits from this book will go to him, so show your support for Grass by buying this book!

TwoMorrows. Bringing New Life To Comics Fandom. TwoMorrows Publishing • 1812 Park Drive • Raleigh, NC 27605 USA • 919-833-8092 • FAX: 919-833-8023 • e-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com

Gentle Giant

Gentle Giant A Golden Age Comic Book Artist Remembers a Well-respected Fawcett Editor by Jay Disbrow As most Captain Marvel fans are aware, Fawcett Publications had their editorial offices in the Paramount Building at Broadway and 43rd Street in mid-Manhattan—New York City. This same building, however, also Longtime comics pro Jay Disbrow— housed the plush offices of the a self-portrait, with special thanks legendary Adolph Zukor, who in to Ralph Ellis Miley/New Creation. partnership with Jessey Lasky and [Art ©2002 Jay Disbrow.] Cecil B. DeMille founded the Paramount Motion Picture Studios back in 1915. I first discovered Captain Marvel in the fall of 1940, when I was still a kid. At that time the character failed to impress me, because for years I had been a Flash Gordon fan. Alex Raymond’s magnificent art had worked its magic upon me. Then, in the summer of 1941, The Adventures of Captain Marvel motion picture serial from Republic Pictures was released, and that changed everything. I became an instant Captain Marvel fan. Nothing like this production had ever been seen before. The special effects and the flying sequences were astonishing, and the musical score left a haunting memory in the viewer’s mind from week to week. Of course, Tom Tyler looked nothing like Captain Marvel. But then again, neither Ralph Byrd nor Warren Beatty looked anything like Dick Tracy. But Tyler brought great dignity to the role of Captain Marvel, despite his weak diction and grating voice. Even to this day I enjoy dropping my Captain Marvel tape into the VCR and watching those glorious moments of 1941. I realize that the late C.C. Beck had nothing but contempt for this cinematic production, but in this case I must disagree with him. The fact that I had chosen the comics as a career is mute testimony to the influences of a host of comic creators who had preceded me. While I never sold a comic book story to Fawcett Publications, I am proud to say that Wendell Crowley, editor of Captain Marvel Adventures, Captain Marvel Jr., The Marvel Family, and others, was a friend of mine.

“Tyler brought great dignity to the role.” Stuntman (and future Mummy) Tom Tyler in the 1941 Republic serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel. [Captain Marvel © & TM 2002 DC Comics.]

I first met Wendell at his office in the fall of 1946. He was one of the tallest men I had ever seen. While I was by no means short, he towered above me, and above all the people on the Fawcett staff. He had the potential of being very intimidating, but he also had a way of putting

people at ease. He was a very gracious individual. He examined my woefully amateurish pages of comic art, and with great diplomacy explained that I was not ready for the world of comics publication. He knew that all I had going for me at that time was an unbridled enthusiasm for a career in this medium. He encouraged me to keep at it and come back when I had progressed further. Of course I did come back, again and again… not only to Fawcett Publications, but also to many other comic publishers. In those days, fondly remembered as the “Golden Age” of comics, there were a host of comic book publishers, nearly all of whom were located in mid-town Manhattan. Wendell Crowley always took the time to examine my art pages carefully. He even corrected the spelling and syntax errors in my stories. He frequently would place my pages side by side with the Fawcett comics pages he was currently editing so I could see the differences. Such comparisons can be devastating to one’s ego, but it is obvious that he did it for my own personal development.

Wendell Crowley (1921-1970) edited Captain Marvel Adventures, Marvel Family, and other Fawcett comics from 1944 through the end in 1953—including the legendary MF #1 (Dec. 1945), below, with its one-andonly Golden Age Black Adam story. Art by C.C. Beck. Photo courtesy Ginny Provisiero. [Art ©2002 DC Comics.]

During that three-year period I came to Wendell’s office many times, but he never once gave me short shrift. By 1949 the quality of my artwork took a quantum leap forward, and Wendell recognized this. I

writer/editorial

“Impossible Things” Sometimes, just sometimes, dreams do come true—and “impossible feats” are accomplished.

“Stephen,” who said he had recently purchased a considerable amount of vintage original art, including “a complete Golden Age All-Star story.”

One of my primary motives in putting together the 208-page All-Star Companion a year or two ago was to see gathered, in one place, information and art concerning the 1940-1951 run of All-Star Comics—plus the approximately 15 pages’ worth of art and story that had come to light of an incomplete and never-published 1945 “Justice Society of America” adventure called “The Will of William Wilson.”

I instantly suspected “Stephen” might be Stephen Fishler, head honcho of Metropolitan Comics in New York City. I didn’t know him personally, but had been told he might have been the purchaser of one or both of the 1950 All-Star covers I’d sold through Sotheby’s in 1996.

As every real JSA fan now knows, in early 1965 Gardner F. Fox, the hero-group’s co-creator and writer of All-Star #3-34, informed researcher Jerry G. Bails that his records indicated that he had actually scripted four additional “JSA” tales in the mid-’40s, which “apparently... were scrapped, or came out under different titles.” In fact, that’s all Gardner’s records contained concerning them: just the tantalizing titles of the quartet of tales, and nothing more: “The Men of Magnifica” “The Emperors of Japan” “The Will of William Wilson” “Peril of the Paper Death” No hard information on the first, second, and fourth of the above stories has yet turned up, and maybe it never will, although considerable speculation about them was recorded in the Companion. However, as we all learned later, a considerable amount of original art from the third-named “lost” tale had actually survived, albeit that art had been cut into “tiers”—i.e., rows of panels (there were generally three tiers/rows to each non-splash page in mid-’40s DC comics) from pages which had been sliced into horizontal thirds in the late 1960s by future pro Marv Wolfman, under circumstances described both in the Companion and in issues of Alter Ego. The All-Star Companion printed all 44 tiers of art (that’s 14 2/3 pages’ worth!) from “The Will of William Wilson” that we then knew to exist—except for two from the “Flash” chapter which, for technical reasons, had to be left out of the book. Those two tiers were printed a few weeks later in Alter Ego V3#7.

Naturally, I immediately contacted Stephen Fishler, who did indeed turn out to be that “Stephen,” and who informed me that, actually, he hadn’t bought a “complete” JSA story, but only the five-page introductory chapter of one. He said the notation “A.S.#31” was handprinted at the top of the splash, but that on checking he had realized that this art had not appeared in All-Star #31; indeed, it apparently had never seen print at all! A few more words of description, and I was certain Stephen had come into possession of the JSA-intro chapter of “The Will of William Wilson”—which somehow had escaped being sliced into thirds! Without revealing where he’d obtained the artwork (and I didn’t press), he generously agreed to send me photocopies of the five pages for reproduction in Alter Ego. Because of the twice-up size of the 1940s art, plus other demands on his time, it was two or three weeks before I received them, and I was on the proverbial pins and needles until one day an over-size package arrived. I tore it open—and there they were: Page “A” through “E” of “The Will of William Wilson.” To view that art, placed in the context of material presented earlier both in A/E V3#7 and in the Companion, turn to Page 23. (As you’ll see, it’s the source of the “impossible things” phrase above.) In honor of what, for Justice Society enthusiasts, is something of a special find, I decided to pull out all the stops and devote this issue almost entirely to the JSA. This section opens with an alphabeticalorder survey of all Golden Age JSAers (counting Mr. Terrific and The Red Tornado)... plus an interview with artist Lee Elias, who drew “Flash” chapters in All-Star #34-36... and Michael T. Gilbert’s look at the 1940s records of JSA co-creator Gardner Fox. While neither these records nor the interview touches on the Justice Society per se, they definitely add to our general knowledge about All-Star and related DC/AA comics of the 1940s.

We also printed in the Companion a problematical “Dr. Mid-Nite” page from the collection of Ethan Roberts, which looked as if it might be from “Will,” though we couldn’t be certain. (The fact that that page, unlike all the art from the story that we’d previously seen, was intact and had never been sliced into thirds seemed, if anything, to mitigate against its being a part of the JSA story.)

And when you’re done? Well, just stand this issue on its head (or stand yourself on yours) and read about the 1970s All-Star Comics revival and the All-Star Squadron of the 1980s, as well as a couple of our regular features.

At that point, we All-Star aficionados had to face the fact that we might well never learn anything more about this minor but intriguing “lost” 1940s exploit of the Justice Society of America.

By the time you finish both halves of this issue—well, to hijack a phrase from the Companion, you’ll definitely have All-Stars in your eyes!

And then everything changed. On October 26, 2001, Jim Amash—pro comics inker, ace interviewer, and an A/E associate editor—forwarded to me an e-mail from someone who signed himself

In 1986, Roy’s super-hero named Alter Ego (now one of this mag’s mascots) spearheaded The Limbo Legion— the super-hero crossover group to end ’em all. Can you name all these guys—and the various comics companies they started at? [Art ©2002 Ron Harris; Alter Ego © & TM 2002 Roy & Dann Thomas.]

Bestest,

Call it the “Justice Society of America”— shorten it to the “Justice Society”—or slice it down to the bare bones as the “JSA.” By any name, it remains the ultimate, the essential, the first super-hero group of all time. And so, before we present more newlysurfaced art to the 1945 All-Star Comics saga titled “The Will of William Wilson,” let’s take a full-page look at each and every one of the eighteen stalwarts who, between 1940 and 1950-51, passed through the hallowed headquarters of the Justice Society, as members and/or honored guests. Not counting the two full-group illustrations on this page, we’ll take ’em in alphabetical order—which means that we begin on the very next page with—

The Justice Society will probably be with us for a long, long time, if the past few decades are any clue (Vol. 8 of the All Star Archives, featuring the classic issues #3438, will be on sale this summer). Still, Avengers Forever artist Carlos Pacheco had fun a few years back drawing our heroes as the “Over-the-Hill Gang” in a Spanish “super-heroes special” called Humor a Tope, published by Tountain. Thanks to Pedro Angosto for pointing it out to us! (For a more dramatic rendition by Carlos of the JSA, see TwoMorrows’ The All-Star Companion! [Art ©2002 the respective copyright holder; JSA © & TM DC Comics.]

Never reprinted—but wait till next year (we hope, we hope!)—is All-Star #39 (Feb.-March 1948), “The Invasion from Fairyland!,” whose Irwin Hasen-drawn splash depicts all seven JSAers, plus future member Black Canary. [©2002 DC Comics.]

The Second MastroNet, Inc. Americana Premier Catalog Auction May 16–17, 2002

Register for your FREE catalog! Call us today at 630–472–1200. Our May 16–17 auction is shaping up beautifully, featuring every item pictured here and over 1,200

Your Premier Source For Fine Collectibles

other lots of the finest memorabilia and collectibles from several areas, including: Political, Historical,

1515 W. 22nd Street • Suite 125

auction is presented on our website, where you can bid in real-time on every item, 24 hours a day. To

Oak Brook, IL 60523 630.472.1200 • fx.630.472.1201

www.mastronet.com

Comics & Comic Art, Toys, Non-Sport Trading Cards, and Movies. In addition, our entire Register to bid and receive your FREE 300+ page, full-color auction catalog, call us at 630-472-1200, or visit us at www.mastronet.com and click on REGISTER.

Illinois Auction Firm License No. 044000121

NOTE: All items shown will be sold in a MastroNet, Inc. division auction.

“The Will of William Wilson”

Where There s A Will... Installment No.

Still More Long-lost Art from “The Will of William Wilson”— The Legendary Never-published 1940s Issue of All-Star Comics!

Part III by Roy Thomas Now, as I was saying back in the Writer/Editorial on Page 2, before I rudely interrupted myself to run 19 pages of scrumptious Justice Society-related art: In The All-Star Companion (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2000) we reproduced well over a dozen pages’ worth of art from the “lost” 1945 story “The Will of William Wilson,” much of which had been for years in the collection of the late Mark Hanerfeld before he sold it to me—all of which I held onto until the middle 1990s, and some of which I still own. I was truly thrilled to reproduce most of the extant art from “Will” for the first time anywhere, partly because of my firm conviction that only the 55 “Justice Society” stories that appeared from All-Star Comics #3 through #57 are truly “authentic.” Though I enjoyed much of the 1970s All-Star revival and loved writing my own All-Star Squadron in the ’80s, to uncover such a sizable portion of a never-published story was, to me, absolutely the only way that there could ever really be a 56th authentic JSA adventure. And now we had it—more or less! [Continued on next page]

Chances are no cover was ever drawn for the unprinted JSA story “The Will of William Wilson” back in the mid-’40s, so Roy Thomas and Michael T. Gilbert put their heads together, and Michael decided to draw one—in his own tongue-incheek style! Since you couldn’t see all the details (or the logos and other info at the top of the art) on this issue’s cover, we’re printing it again here. Enjoy! [Art ©2002 Michael T. Gilbert; JSA © & TM 2002 DC Comics.]

Alter Ego #14