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No. 15 June 2002

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A TITAN!

John Buscema ‘Nuff Said!

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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!

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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!

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Vol. 3, No. 15 / June 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 Artist John Buscema

Cover Colorist Tom Ziuko (with special thanks to Susan O’Leary)

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

And Special Thanks to:

Don Andre Blake Bell Tom Bernardo Mike Burkey Mrs. Dolores Buscema John Buscema, Jr. Sal Buscema Joey Cavalieri Gene Colan Shel Dorf Patrick Dumas Jean-Jacques Dzialowski Mark Evanier John Fleskes Gil Formosa Karl Gafford Stan Goldberg Grass Green George Hagenauer Bob Hall David G. Hamilton Ron Harris Irwin Hasen Tom Horvitz Carmine Infantino John Kelly Adam Kubert Andy Kubert Joe Kubert Stan Lee Jean-Marc Lofficier Russ Maheras

Mick Martin Jim McLauchlin Brian K. Morris Dave Newton Eric Nolen-Weathington Charlie Novinskie Jerry Ordway Matthew Lage Owen & Susan O’Leary Joe Petrilak Adam Philips Bill Pearson John G. Pierce Dan Raspler John Romita Stephanie Sanderson Mrs. Dorothy Schaffenberger Marie Severin David Siegel Robin Snyder Flo Steinberg Marc Swayze Marc Svensson Dann Thomas Herb Trimpe Dr. Michael J. Vassallo Hames Ware Alan Weiss Ralph Rawson Werner Ed Zeno Mike Zeno

This issue is dedicated to the memory of:

John Buscema • Kurt Schaffenberger Henry Boltinoff • Chad Grothkopf Landon Chesney • Rich Grasso

Contents Writer/Editorial: “John Buscema Can Draw Anything You Can Get Him to Want to Draw!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 “John Buscema: The San Diego 2001 Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Mark Evanier talks to the artist about his love/hate affair with comics. “Drawing Was His Life!”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Sal Buscema talks to Jim Amash about his big brother.

ACTOR Is Open for Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 At last—an organization dedicated to helping comics creators in need! Stan Goldberg on John Buscema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 “Stan G.” on his friendship with JB—and a memorable trip to Italy. A Few More Words about John Buscema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Brief tributes from a handful of the artist’s fellow pros. More about Big John–––Kurt Schaffenberger–––& Others . . . Flip Us! About Our Cover: Owen O’Leary, John’s art commission representative during the last year of his life, put together this stunning montage—the artist surrounded by penciled images of some of the Marvel heroes with whom he was most associated. [Conan TM & ©2002 Conan Properties, Inc.; other heroes ©2002 Marvel Characters, Inc.] Above: A commission drawing of the Sentinel of the Spaceways, courtesy of Owen O’Leary. [Art ©2002 estate of John Buscema; Silver Surfer TM & ©2002 Marvel Characters, Inc.] 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: $5.95 ($7.00 Canada, $9.00 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.

John Buscema

John Buscema The San Diego

Interview

Conducted by Mark Evanier Transcribed by Brian K. Morris Interview Videotaped by Marc Svensson [INTERVIEWER’S INTRODUCTION: At last year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego, I got to spend many hours interviewing the likes of John Buscema, Marie Severin, John Romita and Gene Colan. How great is that? About the chats with Buscema, I have—of course—mixed emotions. Talking with the man is, of course, a happy memory... but why did that have to be his last public appearance? Logic tells you that everyone has to go eventually... and we should be glad that John got dragged out to San Diego where he could be interviewed, honored, applauded, and where he got to see Marie, John, Gene, and other colleagues whose friendship he treasured. Still, reviewing this transcript, I can’t help but think, “Boy, I wish I could interview John further at the next San Diego Con. And the next and the next and the next...” Just to have him around. John Buscema (l.) and Mark Evanier (r.) Photo courtesy of Ralph Rawson Werner.

[I must also admit to a certain amount of mixed feelings about John Buscema’s career—an ambivalence that John, it seemed to many, shared. He did an incalculable amount of work in comics, much of it on books I very much enjoyed reading... especially those done in collaboration with the editor of Alter Ego. John also drew an awful lot of comics that he didn’t especially like, doing the pencils (or layouts) for work that would be finished by folks he found incompatible, if not incompetent. It has always frustrated me that men such

as John Buscema were prisoners of a system, and that the system was not reconfigured to make maximum use of their talents. John was so good that, even hobbled by the process, there was still a surplus of talent in evidence. Perhaps I’m projecting, but I think he felt that frustration and that you can see some of it peeking out between the lines of what follows. —Mark Evanier.]

This fantabulous Buscema pencil-and-ink illo appeared both in black-&-white and in color (as the wraparound cover) in Sal Quartuccio’s 1978 publication The Art of John Buscema. There was a 17"x22" color print, too. If you ever run across a copy of either item, snap it up! [Art ©2002 the estate of John Buscema; super-heroes TM & ©2002 Marvel Characters, Inc.; Conan TM & ©2002 Conan Properties, Inc.]

The San Diego 2001 Interview

Two splashes penciled by John for Timely (later Marvel), from Romances of the West #2 (March 1950) and Amazing Detective Cases #3 (Nov. ’50), when he was only a year or two into his professional career. Dr. Michael J. Vassallo, who provided the copies, suspects John may also have inked “Bonnie Parker.” In the latter, clearly the waitress and counter should have been drawn on the left, the bald guy with his hands up on the right. As done, the three balloons are read in the totally wrong order! [©2002 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

[John Buscema enters the room. Mark Evanier rises to shake his hand and John takes his seat.] JOHN BUSCEMA: I’m sorry I’m late. [applause] I can’t beat that. I’m going home. [mocks rising from his seat] MARK EVANIER: When have you ever been late in your life? BUSCEMA: [smiles] All right, I ain’t getting paid for this. ME: At 4:00 we have a panel that’s listed in the program book as being about art techniques. It’s not. It’s going to be a surprise birthday party for Gene Colan. Gene is going to be 75 in a couple of

weeks, and we decided to have a party. He’s the only human being in this entire Convention Center who doesn’t know about this. He’s going to be thinking, “I’m on this stupid panel about art techniques.” [laughs] And we’re going to do about a minute or two of that, and then we’re going to bring in a cake and sing to him and talk about his career. If you see Gene, do not give away the secret. All right, let me formally begin here. To save time, I’m going to list all the Marvel Comics that this man did not draw: [general laughter] Patsy Walker; Brother Voodoo, and It, the Living Colossus. He drew just about everything else there. One time when I was up at Marvel, John was supposed to deliver a job, and he wasn’t

By the late ’50s, for the American Comics Group, John was doing polished work which heralded what was to come a few years later. These splashes are from Adventures into the Unknown #165 and Forbidden Worlds #79, respectively. Thanks to Owen O’Leary. [©2002 the respective copyright owners.]

John Buscema

there at the moment. I asked, “What time is it due?” and they said, “He’s supposed to be in at 2:00.” I said, “But it’s only, like, 1:45 now” and someone said, “We expect him to be early.” Over the years, I can’t think of how many Marvel Comics would have had blank pages or reprints, if not for this gentleman. Probably, most of you know his work from whatever you saw first. I think I was first conscious of him on The Avengers. Later on, he drew SubMariner, he drew Thor, he drew Conan the Barbarian... truly, one of the inspirational, talented men of our business, Mr. John Buscema. [applause] Have you any idea how you came to the comics you drew throughout your career? BUSCEMA: I haven’t the slightest idea. ME: At what age did you become aware that you could draw beyond the way we all draw when we’re young? BUSCEMA: I’m sorry, I don’t get that question. ME: Well, when we’re young, we all draw with crayons and we can draw a little bit. At what age did you figure out that you could draw a little better than the norm and could maybe make a career out of it? BUSCEMA: I never really felt that I could draw the way I should draw. And I’m still struggling, right up to today, really. And I always try to improve. I’m always trying to change. I’m always trying new techniques, new styles. I understand what you’re saying.

any rate. ME: But at some point, you realized that you could draw well enough to make a living. BUSCEMA: No, no, no. Again, I’m going to say no, because I believed strongly for many years, even when I was working—I felt every job I turned in, they were going to fire me. This went on for years, really. ME: [to audience] How many people here don’t buy this for a second? BUSCEMA: No, I’m serious. I’m very serious. There were times I was terrified to turn in a job. And I expected them to say, “John, what? Are you kidding us?” And I went along that way for quite a few years until, I think, I signed a contract with Marvel. And then I thought I was going to be fine, now that I had a contract. No, but seriously, I was never happy with what I’d done, right up to today. I’ve always felt that I could have done better, and someone would discover that I could do better, and they were going to fire me. ME: Most people here have probably seen the original artwork you’ve done. On the backs of the pages, there are these wonderful sketches. Don Heck once told me he thought that the more sketches there were on the back of the pages, the less interested you were in front of the pages. BUSCEMA: That’s true. ME: Maybe you weren’t satisfied with your work, but at some point, you realized that you were getting work, that you were better than, at the very least, half the people in this business. There’s some pretty awful people who get to work in this business.

ME: But at some point, you— BUSCEMA: No, no. I never reached that point. I think when I got my first job, and my first job—do I go on with this for a second? ME: Yes, yes.

BUSCEMA: Yeah, I’ve heard that.

BUSCEMA: I think it was before any of you were born. Did you ever hear of a newspaper called The Hobo News? [pause] Never heard of The Hobo News? [audience laughs] I sold two gag cartoons to them. I think I was in high school. I got four bucks for it and I was on my way to fame and fortune. That’s what I thought, at

ME: But at what point did you feel that you knew how to do this?

BUSCEMA: No, seriously. I think if anybody is really serious about their work, they’re never satisfied. They will feel like the guy who is looking at it is going to say the same thing. He’s not up to what he should be doing, and I’ve always felt that way. And many times, I have to beat a deadline and when I beat that deadline and I’ve turned it in, I expect to get a phone call. It never comes and I’m happy and I can sleep at night.

ME: One of the things that other artists have said about you many times is how naturally you could sit down and draw and it would just come out of you. You didn’t have artist’s block, and you didn’t have to sit down and do twelve pages of roughs to build up a finished page. If you sat down at the board, a finished page would come out before you stood up. Is this a correct perception? BUSCEMA: Sometimes. There were times—well, it hasn’t happened recently, but in years past there would be a page where I wanted to get a certain effect and I would spend... now, my normal day I could do three penciled pages a day. There were times I’d have a panel that would drive me up the wall and I would spend a whole day on just one panel,

The San Diego 2001 Interview

Also in the Fabulous ’50s, John drew movie adaptations for Dell/Western’s Four-Color series: #684 (Helen of Troy, 1956)—#944 (The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, 1958)—and #1006 (Hercules, 1959). Also shown directly above is a page from a 1950s issue of Dell’s Indian Chief. Looks like JB was already prepping for his lengthy run on Conan the Barbarian—and getting better as he went along! Ye Ed owns a copy of Helen of Troy; other art courtesy of Owen O’Leary. [©2002 the respective copyright holders.]

Sal Buscema

“Drawing Was His Life!” SAL BUSCEMA Talks about His Big Brother JOHN Interview Conducted by Roy Thomas—2/19/02 Transcribed by Brian K. Morris [INTRODUCTORY NOTE: John Buscema’s younger brother Sal began his comics career inking for Marvel in the late 1960s, and was soon penciling, as well, inheriting The Avengers at one of the occasions when John was pulled off the title by Stan Lee. I was thrilled to work with Sal, who could keep the established look on the magazine. Later we worked together on Sub-Mariner and other titles, as well, and Sal has had successful stints penciling for both Marvel and DC. On February 19, 2002, we spoke by phone about John’s passing, which had occurred a few weeks earlier.] ROY THOMAS: I was sorry to learn that you and John had another brother pass away—only last year? SAL BUSCEMA: Yeah, our oldest brother. His name was Alfred. Al was 78 and, as they said, if you look at Al, Al was a miniature John. This is so tragic about the two, because it’s just very difficult to fathom how two guys—they weren’t at advanced years, and they were much, much younger than their years. Al, especially. I mean, this is a guy that looked like he was twelve to fifteen years younger than he actually was. Last time I saw him, he was pushing eighty. RT: When I last saw John, just about a year and a half ago, at a convention in White Plains, New York, he certainly didn’t look like

he was in his mid-seventies. BUSCEMA: No. John was a little—I won’t say he was a health nut but he really was a very—he exercised religiously, believed in weight training for cardiovascular reasons, and all that. And he tried to watch his diet, too. I know he was very, very conscious of that, and he was a very robust and extremely very strong guy. I would not have wanted to get him angry at me, let’s put it that way. [laughs] And he had a temper, too. But this is the tragedy—and, I mean, this is what life is all about—it doesn’t matter. You contract an illness and in the space of a few months—and it could be the space of a few weeks or days—you’re gone. And that’s what happened to both of them. My older brother had had earlier problems; there were some problems with his liver. He had Hepatitis C, and so on and so forth. In six months’ time, I saw

Sal Buscema in a photo printed in the program book for the 1975 Mighty Marvel Comic Convention... and a drawing he did not too many years back for a restaurant in San Diego. Alter Ego has arranged to interview Sal ere long about his own career—which sure ain’t chickenfeed! [Art ©2002 Sal Buscema; Hulk ©2002 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Talks about His Big Brother John

29 BUSCEMA: Absolutely. As a matter of fact, one of the things I pride myself on is the fact that my family is very close. RT: Well, you’re Italian, you know. [laughs] BUSCEMA: Yeah. It’s genetic, I suppose. [chuckles] Though I know of Italian families that are not. RT: One of the things that I know John said last year was that he didn’t encourage you to be a comic artist when you wanted to. He thought that you should have been an actor. Did he ever tell you this, or was this something he just told other people? BUSCEMA: I’m not sure that he encouraged me to become an actor. I suppose I had some talent in that area. As a matter of fact, I’ve been doing community theater for the last twenty years and had a great time doing it. It’s wonderful if you do it as a hobby, and people have told me, some people whose opinions I respect—I think they’re exaggerating—but they said I definitely could have been professional. But John encouraged me to be an actor? I’m not sure. RT: Well, maybe he said he thought you should have been, more than that he encouraged you.

this man reduced to a shadow of himself. And essentially, this is what happened to John, too, from what I understand. RT: Did you see John during the last few months of his life? BUSCEMA: Actually, no, I did not. I did not, and I regret that. I talked to him just before Christmas. My wife and I called together to wish him and Dolores a happy Christmas, and especially under the circumstances. And I got the impression that he was feeling pretty good. He told me he was eating a little better and that he actually gained a pound or two, and so on. And then, just a little over a week later, they called and said he’d taken a violent turn for the worse—and he was gone the next day. So I didn’t even have an opportunity to come up there. Nobody dreamed it was going to happen that quickly. Even though he was very ill, it was a real shock to all of us. RT: Were you and and John fairly close? Did you talk a fair amount on the phone?

BUSCEMA: Oh, sure. Well, yeah. As a matter of fact, that probably stems from conversations that we had, because I told him that I did not have the passion for art, and drawing in particular, that he did. I had a certain amount of talent, but it was developed with a minimal amount of effort. Where, in John’s case—I mean, this is a guy, as you know— he ate, slept, and breathed drawing. I mean, that was his life. He just had a great passion for it. I did not have that passion. I do have a passion for acting, and in that sense, I suppose, yeah, he probably said that I should have been an actor instead of an artist. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy— how do you not enjoy something that you’ve done for almost fifty years, professionally? I do enjoy it. I think the difference is that I didn’t have the passion—that’s the best word I can think of—for it that John did. RT: What, if anything, did he have to do with you coming to Marvel in the late ’60s?

BUSCEMA: Well, John and Dolores had come to visit us down here in Virginia this one weekend, and he just happened to mention—I was working for an art studio in Washington, D.C. and John had been freelancing for an art studio, a commercial advertising art studio in Manhattan. And I’ve heard several versions of this story, that Stan called John and that kind of thing. The incredible thing about it is that Stan and John bumped into each other accidentally in mid-midtown Manhattan. RT: I did not know that. BUSCEMA: Yeah, and they greeted each other and said hellos and “how you doing” and all that kind of stuff. And Stan said, “Hey, John, comic books are coming back, you know. Why don’t you consider doing some work for us?” Well, it just so happened that John hated the commute. I mean, he literally commuted five hours a day from his home in Port

ACTOR

ACTOR Is Open For Business! A great thing happened on November 14, 2001: ACTOR (A Commitment To Our Roots), the first and only organization dedicated strictly to helping comics creators in need, sent out its first check. Gray Morrow, the longtime comics and science-fiction artist, had passed away. Through an intermediary, we contacted Gray’s wife Pocho and told her about the organization: that we were a charity that gave back to the creative community that had given comics so much... and that we even had a provision to help cover a creator’s funeral expenses, hopefully alleviating a financial burden for the family. Pocho Morrow was happy to hear of this. I think she was happy to know that there was one less thing for her to worry about in this time of need. More than anything, I think she was just happy to know that someone cared. ACTOR cut a check directly to the funeral home. ACTOR has accomplished, in less than a year, what usually takes two years to get done: ACTOR’s 501(c)(3) documents—the paperwork you need to be an actual, honest-to-God non-profit corporation—were approved by the federal government in nine months. (The typical process takes 12 to 18 months.) We are open for business, ready to help, and there’s one important message that goes along with that. There’s one reason and one reason only that you’re reading about Pocho Morrow: because she told us to tell you. She wants the world to know what this organization is doing. She wants to know that she’s helping others by doing this.

as we run two charity art auctions a year. Donations of any type can be sent to: ACTOR (A Commitment To Our Roots) 11301 Olympic Blvd., #587 Los Angeles, Ca 90064 And if you or someone you know is a comics creator in need, please feel free to contact us. Your confidentiality is assured. Please direct inquiries to one of the seven members of the Disbursement Committee, or to: Charlie Novinskie ACTOR Disbursement Secretary 625 Colony Rd. Clifton, CO 81520 Or call Charlie at (970) 523-3575 Disbursement Committee: George Pérez & Roy Thomas (co-chairs), Dick Giordano, Joe Kubert, Dennis O’Neil, John Romita, Jim McLauchlin. —Jim McLauchlin, President, ACTOR P.S.: ACTOR’s auction at the Orlando, Florida, MegaCon on February 27, 2002, combined with other donations made there, raised $50,000 for its non-profit work. ACTOR means to put it to good use.

Similarly, ACTOR helped the Dan DeCarlo estate with funeral expenses, and helped veteran writer William Messner-Loebs with a financial hand... and contacts to get back into active comics work. Those names are of people who want you to know what ACTOR has done. There are others, too. Many of our success stories you will hear about. Some you won’t. Because—and I can’t stress this enough—ACTOR HAS A STRICT CONFIDENTIALITY CLAUSE, SHOULD A RECIPIENT WISH TO REMAIN PRIVATE. If a recipient does not want his/her identity known, it remains sealed. No one outside the seven-member Disbursement Committee and the secretary will know. ACTOR has already benefited one recipient in this matter. And you will never hear us reveal that person’s name. So please know: the shingle is out and we are open for business. We’re always willing to accept cash donations, or donation of original art,

Among the many wonderful donations by comics pros for ACTOR’s auctions was this “3K” drawing by (from left to right) Adam Kubert, Joe Kubert, and Andy Kubert, which sold for $1400 at this summer’s auction at the Wizard World convention in Chicago. Thanks to the Kubert family for going the extra mile for a worthy cause. [Art ©2002 Adam, Joe, and Andy Kubert; Sgt. Rock & Batman TM & ©2002 DC Comics; Wolverine TM & ©2002 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Stan Goldberg

Stan Goldberg on John Buscema Jim Amash Talks with “Stan G.” about Big John—and a Memorable Italian Sojourn had a flair for the dramatic. He knew how to explode a picture and tell the greatest story in continuity. He could draw six panels on a page for an entire book and you could put any one of those panels on the cover of a magazine, and here he was using them to tell a story from beginning to end. JIM AMASH: That’s one of the things I admired most about John Buscema. He drew a great picture in every panel without sacrificing storytelling. GOLDBERG: That’s a perfect description. I saw something recently that he had inked, and John was very proud of it. He once told me that there was a time when he was penciling around 150 pages a month. They

Three American cartoonists in Lucca, Italy, 1999. (L. to r.:) John Buscema, Jose Delbo, Stan Goldberg. Stan, who provided all photos in this section, says, “We spent a lot of time together!”

[NOTE: Stan Goldberg, who for more than three decades has been a top artist for Archie Publications, began his career at Timely/Marvel in the late 1940s primarily as a colorist, later drawing Millie the Model and other titles. As Marvel’s chief colorist during much of the 1960s, he contributed to its rise that began in 1961 with the publication of Fantastic Four #1, and a long interview with him was planned for this issue before it was decided turn it into a special tribute to John Buscema. Stan has his own very special memories of this late great artist, and Jim Amash asked him about them. —R.T.] STAN GOLDBERG: John Buscema was not one of the best artists to work in comics—he was the best artist who ever drew comics. There have been a number of great comics artists, but John was better than everyone. I have a dear friend, San Kossin, who’s an award-winning illustrator. Sandy invited me over to his house for dinner one night, and some other well-know illustrators were there, too, including Barney Plotkin. I remembered that John worked for a studio many years ago and said to Barney, “I know someone who was a studio man many years ago, and he’s a terrific artist. Maybe you’ve heard of him? His name is John Buscema.” Barney said, “John Buscema? We shared a studio many years ago. He was the best artist then, and I’m sure he’s a better artist than anyone in the business today.” There was a woman there, Elaine Harwetel, who illustrated romance novels, and she remembered going to the School of Music and Art with John. She gave me her maiden name and I asked John if he remembered her. He did. It’s something that here’s someone who remembered John from high school, which goes to show how great he was when he was seventeen, eighteen years old. Even though he worked primarily in comics, that was just the tip of the iceberg in regards to what John could do. I’ve seen some of his noncomics work and it’s amazing stuff. John knew how to draw, and always

Captain America vs. Thor—doubtless duking it out for some very good reason (like, a collector commissioned it). Buscema pencil-and-ink courtesy of Owen O’Leary. [Art ©2002 estate of John Buscema; Capt. America & Thor TM & √Ω©2002 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Tributes

POSTSCRIPT: John’s fame and reputation were worldwide, as his being a guest at comics conclaves in Gijon, Spain, and Lucca, Italy, will attest. Via Jean-Marc Lofficier, who now resides in Los Angeles, several professional French comic artists sent in images in his memory. These three, all coincidentally featuring The Silver Surfer, speak volumes without the need of translation. The specific art below is ©2002 by the individual artists; the Surfer is TM & ©2002 Marvel Characters, Inc.

Gil Formosa

Patrick Dumas.

Jean-Jacques Dzialowski

Roy Thomas’ Barbarous Comics Fanzine

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No. 15 June 2002

SPECIAL SALUTES TO

John Buscema and

Kurt Schaffenberger

featuring: featuring:

THE RETRO COMICS EXPERIENCE!

Edited by MICHAEL EURY, BACK ISSUE magazine celebrates comic books of the 1970s, 1980s, and today through recurring (and rotating) departments like “Pro2Pro” (dialogue between professionals), “BackStage Pass” (behind-the-scenes of comicsbased media), “Greatest Stories Never Told” (spotlighting unrealized comics series or stories), and more!

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“April Fools”! GIFFEN and LOREN FLEMING on Ambush Bug, BYRNE’s She-Hulk, interviews with HEMBECK, ALAN KUPPERBERG, Flaming Carrot’s BOB BURDEN, and DAVID CHELSEA, Spider-Ham, Forbush-Man, Reid Fleming, MAD in the 1970s, art and commentary from DICK DeBARTOLO, TOM DeFALCO, AL FELDSTEIN, AL JAFFEE, STAN LEE, DAVE SIM, and a Spider-Ham cover by MIKE WIERINGO, inked by KARL KESEL!

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(NOW 8x/YEAR, WITH 16 COLOR PAGES!) “Wild West” issue! Jonah Hex examined with FLEISHER, DeZUNIGA, DOMINGUEZ, GARCIA-LOPEZ, GIFFEN, HANNIGAN, plus TRUMAN’s Scout, TRIMPE’s Rawhide Kid, AYERS’ Ghost Rider, DC’s Weird Westerns, the Vigilante’s 1970s revival, and more! Art and commentary by ADAMS, APARO, DIXON, EVANS, KUNKEL, MORROW, NICIEZA, and more. Cover by DeZUNIGA!

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Vol. 3, No. 15 / June 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 Artist John Buscema

Cover Colorist Tom Ziuko (with special thanks to Susan O’Leary)

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

And Special Thanks to:

This issue is dedicated to the memory of:

John Buscema • Kurt Schaffenberger Henry Boltinoff • Chad Grothkopf Landon Chesney • Rich Grasso

Contents re: (correspondence & corrections on past issues) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 A Timely/Atlas/Marvel special. “RoyBigThomas John”talksandabout“Roy the Boy” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 35 years of collaboration with John Buscema. Presenting Grass Green’s “Da Scavengers” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Bill Schelly on one of fandom’s finest writer/artists.

The Wizard King: Wally Wood’s Unfinished Symphony . . . . . . 31 Michael T. Gilbert on a master’s final major work, never before published. Tributes to Henry Boltinoff and Chad Grothkopf . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Two fine comic book artists remembered.

FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) #72 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Marc Swayze—plus a special “Salute to Kurt Schaffenberger.” John Buscema: The San Diego 2001 Interview, and more . . . Flip Us! About Our Cover: This Buscema pen-and-ink has been seen before—including in Savage Sword of Conan and ads for the 1978 Conan the Barbarian newspaper strip—but Owen O’Leary suggested it as one of this issue’s covers, and we agreed it was the perfect choice. Conan—a fantasy world—and a beautiful woman: three of John’s favorite subjects in one masterful illustration! [Art ©2002 estate of John Buscema; Conan TM & ©2002 Conan Properties, Inc.] Above: Conan and a slightly different type of gorgeous female, in a commission drawing courtesy of Owen O’Leary. [Art ©2002 estate of John Buscema; Conan TM & ©2002 Conan Properties, Inc.; Red Sonja TM & ©2002 Red Sonja Properties, Inc.] 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: $5.95 ($7.00 Canada, $9.00 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.

re:

You may have noticed that this Alter Ego feels just a wee bit thicker than previous ones. That’s because, starting this issue, we’ve added eight more pages, for a total of 108, counting covers. This is partly because the Great TwoMorrows Publishing Empire has been adding magazines and even books to its publication schedule at such a fast clip that there is now a 6-page TwoMorrows ad bloc in each issue, besides the two inside covers—but that’s really only 4 or 5 pages more than before, so you still get several extra pages for the same price! End of self-promo. Now, back to our regularly-scheduled "re:" section... Let’s start with a word—several of them, actually, but all of them welcome—with regards to #11’s interview with Timely/Marvel’s third editor-in-chief, Vince Fago, as sent by Hames Ware, the co-editor/publisher (with A/E’s founder, Jerry Bails) of the original Who’s Who of American Comic Books: Dear Roy,

There’s no Alter (boy) in sight, as our mag’s comascot Captain Ego holds his evil nemesis Tigris aloft. All three debuted in Alter Ego (Vol. 1) #7 back in 1964, the creations of artist/writer Biljo White. This illo was drawn for V1#9 by Sam Grainger, who’d go on to work for Marvel and Charlton. [Art ©2002 estate of Sam Grainger; Capt. Ego TM & ©2002 Roy Thomas & Bill Schelly.]

Like you, I’ve puzzled over the “German” who Vince Fago said drew “Human Torch” and might be named “Thomas.” Do you think he might somehow mean Gustave Schrotter, who drew scads of stuff at Timely, including the “Angel” sample you printed? Schrotter was a prolific artist, seldom signing, and has several hardcover credits as late as the 1960s, including some textbook-type books, so he may have become a teacher as Fago recalls his “Thomas” did. Schrotter and Carl Pfeufer both worked through Lloyd Jacquet during much of the period, but are the only two Germanicsounding names that leap out from my ledgers that also fit the Timely time period Fago is discussing. That doesn’t mean they

might not also have soloed, as well. I say this because an artist Fago mentions, H.C. “Doc” Ellison, is one of the Binder shop mainstays; yet obviously he was either hired away by Fago or came to Timely after the Binder shop folded. Somebody may say that Jimmy Thompson was indeed German, but for my part Gustave Schrotter’s name might ring a bell for Vince, after all. I find it fascinating to hear (or read) names as they were truly pronounced, as Bill Harper pointed out with regard to Straight Arrow artist Fred Meagher. I recall a long-ago fan magazine listing Jules Feiffer as having worked on “The Human Torch”... a result of the interviewer hearing Carl Pfeufer’s last name spoken and assuming Feiffer was the “Pfeufer” in question. As with the wonderful names of early baseball players, so many of the comics’ eclectic artisans’ names held great fascination for me, and I was delighted when hearing Wendell Crowley, Gill Fox, and others say

those names out loud... sometimes pronunciations so far afield from the way I’d been saying them that I had to get them to stop while I had them spell out the name, only to find out it was an artist whose name I’d been saying in a totally different way! One of those artists I would happily have years of correspondence and tape interviews with was Rafael Astarita, who explained to me why he was changing the spelling of his first name to “Raphael” and how his last name meant “little star” in Spanish. Interestingly, the gremlins still play havoc, as, in the George Tuska interview, Raf becomes “Ralph.” Also, gremlins made Ramona Patenaude’s unusual last name even more unusual in the reference in issue #11. One last name game: my fellow art detective Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., and I had been going round and round for years over how Rudy Palais’ name was pronounced (George Roussos’ name presented a similar quandary). Jim, on the tapes he and I would send back and forth identifying comic book art, would say “Pul-Laze,” and I would come back on my tape with “Puh-Lay.” Finally, local Classics Illustrated historian Bill Jones, whose magnificent history of that neglected comic book has just been published by McFarland, found Rudy and was kind enough to give me his address. I phoned this unique stylist (no one ever drew in a style like Rudy Palais!) and told him about the 20-year debate Jim and I had going. Rudy kindly won my argument for me. (But I think I lost the one on Roussos!) One last gremlin to mention: the artist on Page 34’s “Targeteers” is Ken Battefield (sic) (and yes, it’s def John Jordan to the right!). It was Battefield that Ned Pines [of Nedor/Standard/Pines Comics] hired to turn out reams and reams of slapdash work in case World War II prevented any artists from returning. Astarita told me that, after the war, the still-thrifty Pines hired him and Graham Ingels to “clean up” all the Battefield pages so Pines could get something for his money. Astarita said it was the most tedious and unsatisfying job imaginable, and that even though Pines offered both men the title of “art directors” and some cash to go with it, each had to eventually leave due to the depressing nature of the work. Ralph Mayo and others later filled this same task, and to this day you will see Pines Comics with beautifully rendered splash panels (apparently poor Battefield either skipped drawing splashes or rendered them totally unusable) and a few beautifully-drawn interior panels scattered amongst the rest by poor Battefield, of whom I believe it was said that he delivered his artwork with arms covered by cat scratches. Apparently he was a cat fancier with scads of cats perched on him and his drawing-board. I am so glad to see Marcia Snyder mentioned for perhaps the first time ever in a fan magazine! Of all the wonderful female artists who drew for comics, from the classically-trained Clara Peck and Corrine Boyd Dillon to the accomplished cover painters like Louise Altson, as well as all the comic book regulars like Nina Albright and Ruth Atkinson, I consider Marcia Snyder’s work to be consistently (continued on p. 21)

“Roy The Boy”

“Big John”

“Roy The Boy”

Rascally ROY THOMAS on Three-plus Decades of Collaboration with BIG JOHN BUSCEMA So my wife and I are walking toward the exit door of the convention center when all of a sudden we hear this deep, booming voice: “Roy Thomas!” I recognize it instantly, of course, even though it’s been several years since I last heard it in person... and months, at least, since I heard it even over the phone. “Hi, John.” John and Dolores Buscema are seated at a long table we’d just passed, John signing autographs with a gruff patience on this late afternoon at a comics convention in White Plains, New York. Not certain whether they have met Dann before, I introduce them again. “I didn’t think you’d made it here,” I add. “They cancelled your panel.” “You wanna hear a story? They sent this cab to pick us up out on Long Island...” The gist of the tale is that the know-nothing cabbie got lost and drove for hours on the freeway trying to the find the right off-ramp in Westchester County. By the time first White Plains, then its convention center, was located, John had missed the one-on-one panel which was his sole scheduled event. Not that he minds, he makes sure I understand: “I wouldn’t even be here, but my grandkids told me I had to.” We talk for a few minutes about this and that, including the project John is currently drawing— though officially he’s been “retired” for a year or two— and Dann snaps a pair of photos. We say our goodbyes, expressing a hope that we run into each other again one of these days.

(Left to right:) Roy Thomas, John Buscema, and Dolores Buscema in a chance encounter at Joe Petrilak’s All Time Classic New York Comic Book Convention in June 2000. Photo by Dann Thomas.

collaborations covered well over a third of a century, John and I were never friends in the sense that I was at one time or another with Bill Everett and Gil Kane and a handful of younger professionals, mostly writers. I believe he and I liked and respected each other, but we rarely spent any time together. Even so, thinking of a John Buscema anecdote even now, as I write these words two months after his death, in my mind I can still hear his voice as it was—robust, hearty, full of life—the last time we spoke, this past fall, when I interviewed him by phone about our 1960s/70s stint on The Avengers. Somehow, although at the time we were working on a projected five-issue DC Elseworlds series titled JLA: Barbarians, it seems fitting that our last conversation dealt with The Avengers. Because that’s the way we’d started out, 35 years earlier...

In the Beginning...

And that’s the last time I saw John Buscema. As you get older, you get used to people “passing on,” as they say. You wouldn’t think you would, but you do. Although our

Now—and then! At right, one of John’s penciled concept illos for JLA: Barbarians—and a re-creation of his cover for Avengers #49 (Feb. 1968), above, which he inked the first time around, too. Commission art courtesy of Owen O’Leary. [Art above ©2002 estate of John Buscema; Avengers TM & ©2002 Marvel Characters, Inc.; “Kal-El the Barbarian” art ©2002 DC Comics.]

I don’t really recall the day John and I first met, except that it had to be in mid-1966, at Marvel’s offices at 625 Madison Avenue in Manhattan. I do remember being shown, probably by production manager Sol Brodsky rather than by Stan Lee, a page of sample illustrations John had done. I don’t even recall if they were of super-heroes or merely figure studies. I only know they

“Big John” The art in “The Missile and the Monster!” is good, even if Buscema and Esposito were not perfectly suited... but Stan felt John still wasn’t “there” yet and pressed him to take a look at Kirby’s work to see the kind of excitement he wanted. It was probably before he drew his next two “Hulks” that John was given a “Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.” 12-pager to pencil for Strange Tales #150. Stan wanted John to adjust his illustrative look to accommodate Marvel storytelling. And the best way to assure that was to have him work over Jack Kirby layouts. Jack’s layouts/breakdowns, when done for another artist to finish, contained relatively few details, being mostly concerned with the storytelling and the motion and the attitude of the characters. Which meant they were bursting with explosive action and hell-bent-for-leather storytelling. Still, any artist “tightening” those layouts had no choice but to reflect Jack’s point of view. What’s more, since Stan scripted directly from those layouts, they were already lettered by the time they were given to the “penciler,” further limiting the changes the latter could make to Jack’s work. Even if, as Jon B. Cooke told me recently, John Buscema said he erased Jack’s layouts before he started penciling, the Kirby influence would still be there. (A couple of years later, Tom Palmer would likewise erase Gene Colan’s Dr. Strange far more finished pencils before he began to ink them; but the result never looked like anything other than Gene Colan inked by Tom Palmer. Not that Tom intended it to.)

made an immediate impression of being beautifully and realistically rendered... far less “comic-booky” than anything I’d seen pass through the hallowed halls of Marvel in the year I’d been Stan’s editorial assistant, except for some of Gene Colan’s near-photographic work. I was told that this big barrel-chested guy, John Buscema, had been with Marvel back in the “old days,” when it had been Timely Comics. He’d been working in the advertising field for years, but now he wanted to get into comics again. Stan had welcomed John with open arms; he knew good drawing when he saw it as well as anybody. But “good drawing,” as such, wasn’t really what Marvel Comics was about. Marvel was about action, about drama, about excitement... and, artwise, in 1966 that meant it was pretty much “about” Jack Kirby. Stan had finally come to the reluctant conclusion that “Wild Bill” Everett, great as he was, wasn’t the right artist to go on drawing “The Incredible Hulk” in Tales to Astonish, not even over pencil layouts by Jack Kirby. An interim issue assigned to veteran Jerry Grandenetti (#82, Oct. 1966) had proved a disaster, in Stan’s mind. In fact, while the inking on that ten-pager is doubtless Bill’s, and for all I know Kirby may have laid it out, the art wound up being credited to “Almost the Whole Blamed Bullpen” (with no mention of Grandenetti or any other artist). In the final panel, beneath a drawing of Ol’ Greenskin stomping off muttering, “Free—to do—what??!” was a blurb: “...And that’s just what we’ll find out—NEXT ISSUE!” What readers found when they picked up Tales to Astonish #85 was a story credited to a new penciler—“John Buscema”—with inking by “Mickey Demeo” (longtimer Mike Esposito).

The climax of Avengers #50: Hercules vs. Typhon, as seen in glorious black-&-white in The Essential Avengers, Vol. 3. And no, Alter Ego doesn’t get anything in return for the plug; we just like to help collectors locate inexpensive copies of classic Golden and Silver Age stories. [©2002 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

“Roy The Boy” John’s “Hulk” stories in Astonish #86-87 improved as they went along... but when Gil Kane walked into the Marvel offices, willing to work under his own name this time, he got the “Hulk” assignment. And John had only drawn one Strange Tales installment, because 1966 was the second summer in a row that a young Pennsylvania artist named Jim Steranko came to a New York comics convention (and thence to Marvel) looking for work, and this time he’d gone away with the “S.H.I.E.L.D.” assignment—albeit initially over, you guessed it, Jack Kirby layouts. So what to do with the supremely talented yet still-struggling John Buscema?

Avengers Forever... If I Had My Way about It At this time Don Heck was up to his ears drawing both the monthly Avengers and the extra-length Avengers Annual #1, so John was assigned to do a couple of fill-in issues, starting with #41 (June 1967). For the first time since his return, John would be working not with Stan the Man, but with a relative newcomer—Roy the Boy (just turned 26, so not all that young, really). John and I had little personal contact in those days—just the occasional phone call with regard to some point in the written two-orthree-page synopses I sent him for most issues. But I was instantly smitten with his work, and persuaded Stan that Don should be moved over to other projects—eventually to The X-Men, which I was also scripting—so John could remain as regular Avengers penciler. Nor do I remember Stan or John ever talking with me about the possibility of John’s inking his own work; Stan clearly preferred he just

pencil. Even so, perhaps unhappy with the inking he was getting, John got Stan’s okay to ink Avengers #49-50, and they are the best-looking ones of that period. But John must have realized he’d make more money just penciling, and that was the end of his inking for quite some time. Though sales were good, I can’t say we broke any sales records with those early Avengers. At this point I could wax eloquent for page after page about the dozens of Avengers issues John and I did together through 1972, when I relinquished that title to concentrate on being Marvel’s editor-in-chief; but most such comments belong in an article about the group itself... and this one is about the Buscema/Thomas collaborations. Besides, Avengers constituted only half the work John and I were doing together at this time.

Suddenly... The Sub-Mariner! When Prince Namor (like The Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Dr. Strange) received his own monthly mag in 1968, John was tapped to pencil it. Behind a powerful cover inked by Sol Brodsky, The Sub-Mariner #1 inaugurated a string of issues I enjoyed every bit as much as Avengers... and which John probably enjoyed slightly more, not having so many heroes to juggle. He also liked the fact that the issue was embellished by Frank Giacoia, one of his preferred inkers. For my part, I reveled to see the “Buscema touch” applied to recaps of Namor’s origin and WWII exploits, and to the events in Fantastic Four #4 that had brought Sub-Mariner into the 1960s. It was immediately apparent that John would be the ideal choice to succeed Kirby on F.F., but of course in 1968 no one was thinking in

re:

The Sub-Mariner displayed in that issue. Keep up the good work, Roy, and use those dang Return of the Skyman pages and the Syd Shores bio I sent you before I die. Blake Bell 125 Lawton Blvd., Apt. 1202 Toronto, Ont., Canada M4V 2A1 Whew! We’ll have to catch our breath after reading your long letter, Blake. You sure you’re not a blood relative of Roy’s? Dear Roy, I really enjoyed Mike Barr’s article in Alter Ego V3#6, “When Those Who Can, Teach.” It was a great snapshot of two very rare publications, with some wonderful updated insights from Robert Kanigher and Stan Lee. When talking about his book Secrets behind the Comics, Stan reflected on his 1947 offer to review the portfolio of artist hopefuls for $1. He said he responded to absolutely every person who took him up on his offer. I can attest to that. I managed to get a copy of Secrets in 1972, and, being an 18-year-old comic book artist hopeful (who also happened to have a wry sense of humor), I sent Stan my portfolio. I also enclosed $2 instead of the 1947 fee of $1 to help a little bit with the return postage. Keep in mind, this is before photocopy machines were readily available, so I actually sent him a pile of my original art. Stan, being the good-natured and magnanimous person that he is, responded, even though his original offer had been made a quarter of a century earlier. And I was thrilled by his response, of course, because it was like getting a letter from Odin himself! Enclosed is a copy of Stan’s letter of response—you may get a kick out of seeing it. Russ Maheras ADDITIONS & CORRECTIONS Dept.: First, Michael T. Gilbert sent on this part of an e-mail from “Gord”: “The late Ronn Foss’ son, Dr. Scott E. Foss, appears... on the Discovery Channel’s Walking with Prehistoric Beasts. He hosts the segment on prehistoric mammals’ jaws about two-thirds through the program. He is the spitting image of his dad. I guess you can learn from reading these funny-books, after all!” Jim Amash asks us to make it clear (as we failed to do in a caption Ye Ed shoehorned into issue #12 at the last minute) that the 1984 convention from which we repro’d a Will Eisner self-caricature was organized not by Jim but by Tom Wimbish and John Butts; Jim says he helped on that show, but didn’t start co-organizing them till the next year. He says his ex-partner John Hitchcock was involved with that show, as well. Re #12’s reconstructed, unpublished 1940s Paul Reinman “Green Lantern” story, Karl Gafford noticed something Ye Editor had overlooked: namely, although the bottom two rows of panels of the hard-to-read “page 11” reproduced from an old ad really are from page 11, the top tier is actually from page 2! As Karl points out, “The action takes place immediately after the setup on the bottom of page 1 and shows Doiby coming in on stage right as he appears in the middle tier. Most importantly, even though the art is hard to read, you can plainly see Dr. Cypher is without the band-aid on his face in the top tier— which clinches the mystery in the bottom third! Apparently, whoever got these pages mistakenly thought the top third led into the middle and bottom third.” In other words, somebody pasted three rows of panels together from two different pages of the same story! Our thanks to

longtime pro colorist Karl, who clearly scanned that murky page more carefully than Ye Ed did! Send any comments to: Roy Thomas/Alter Ego Rt. 3, Box 468 St. Matthews, SC 29135 Fax: (803) 826-6501 New e-mail address: <roydann@ntinet.com> See you in just thirty days, on A/E’s new eight-times-a-year schedule! (Oh, and I’ve still got for sale a few personal copies of the out-of-print JSA ©2002 DC Comics, Inc. Alter Ego, Vol. 3, #1, with Ordway, Hasen, Lee, Gilbert, FCA, et al, for the price of $15 (postpaid) per copy—autographed if requested. Ditto a handful of copies of Comic Book Artist #2-5 (each with an Alter Ego section) for $15 apiece, likewise postpaid... and a few sets of Alter Ego #1-4, the 1986 color comic book with story by R.T., art by Ron Harris—$20 postpaid for all four issues, also autographed if desired. Send checks or M.O.’s (made out to Roy Thomas) to the address above. Sorry, foreign orders must add $5 for each item.)

Title Comic Fandom Archive

Presenting Grass Greens

“Da Scavengers” Introduction by Bill Schelly [In Alter Ego V3#1 we reprinted “Da Frantic Four”— Grass Green’s askew view of the early Lee & Kirby Fantastic Four, which served as Grass’ introduction to comics fandom when it appeared in The Comicollector #8 in late 1963—and earlier, in the Hamster trade paperback Alter Ego: The Best of the Legendary Comics Fanzine, we re-presented 1964’s “The Bestest League of America Meets Da Frantic Four” by Grass and Roy Thomas. Now, thanks to magnanimous Mick Martin, who published the last three issues of the fanzine Komix Illustrated—and who is co-author with Marsha Porter of the Video Movie Guide 2002 for Ballantine Books—we’re delighted to be able to publish Green’s lesser-known—but equally brilliant—parody of The Avengers, which was featured in Komix Illustrated #13, 1964.] In 1962 popular fan artist Richard “Grass” Green received a letter that rocked his world. It was from the comics artist he most idolized: Jack Kirby. Green’s admiration for Kirby was born in the early 1950s, when Grass—then a junior high student in Fort Wayne, Indiana—discovered Jack’s work in Black Magic, Captain 3-D, Fighting American, and reprints of Stuntman. Kirby was the young artist’s greatest influence as Grass developed his own prodigious drawing talents. When Green was discharged from the U.S. Air Force in the early 1960s, he began pursuing his dream to become a professional comic book artist. He was regularly haunting the newsstands in late 1961 when he saw a cover that caught his attention, not only because it was obviously by Kirby but because it featured super-heroes. Fantastic Four signaled a new type of comic book from Marvel, and since Green was primarily a super-hero fan and had enjoyed The Human Torch in his 1950s incarnation, he was thrilled with FF #1. He had an idea: write to Kirby for guidance! Why not? What did he have to lose? Green packaged up some of his artwork and penned a polite cover letter to Jack asking for his comments. He asked some questions, too, for example: “How large is the original art done?” The package was sent to Jack Kirby c/o whatever name and address Marvel was using at that time. Some of Grass’ best known creations: Wildman and Rubberoy, his personal “Grasshoppa” character, and Xal-Kor, the Human Cat—who’s returning after several decades. [©2002 Grass Green.]

Imagine the young man’s excitement when he received, after some time, a large package in the mail from Kirby. You could have knocked him over with a feather when he realized that Jack had sent him some original art from the Sky Masters comic strip! And there was a letter from Kirby, too—one which, you may be sure, Grass studied endlessly for all its nuances. We at Alter Ego are thrilled that this letter has survived after all the intervening years, and that we are able to publish it here for what may be the first time.

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt

The Wizard King Wally Wood’s “Unfinished Symphony” I’m sure you can spot many of Wood’s characters and scenes right out of The Wizard King. No mention of Wood in the credits.”

by Michael T. Gilbert Wally Wood was one stubborn guy. Nowhere was this more obvious than with his efforts to bring to life the world of The Wizard King.

Finally, in 1968, Wood published the first two chapters of The World of the Wizard King in the 4th and 5th issues of witzend, his selfpublished prozine. These were the first sections of a three-part prose story, profusely illustrated by Wood. Three years passed before he concluded that first tale in issue 8. At the end of part three Wood wrote: “This somewhat abbreviated account of the life and times of Odkin the Sly will serve as an outline for an expanded version to appear in another form and another place. Watch for it.” Years passed, and The Wizard King project seemed to vanish. It reappeared in the late ’70s when Wood started his own company. In his Woodworks newsletter he promised his fans a three-volume series of graphic novels devoted to The Wizard King. True to his word, he came out with the first volume in 1978. Three years later he published volume two. But time was running out for Wood. As described in Alter Ego, Vol. 3, #8, Wood’s addiction to work and alcohol had ruined his body. He’d suffered a series of debilitating strokes, resulting in severely impaired vision. His assistants had largely completed the second Wizard King volume––and it looked it. He was disappointed with the results and planned to take greater control in the final volume. Unfortunately, Wood died that same year and the final volume never appeared. Like most of his fans, I assumed he had died

Wood created this imaginary world of warlocks, elves, and wizards when he was a child. In The Wally Wood Sketchbook Wood stated that it was “impossible for me to say when I started to work on The Wizard King. I thought of the title King of the World... before I was 10 years old.” In time, that early prototype became the basis for Wood’s various Wizard King stories. As Wood grew up, he became an awardwinning artist for Mad, Weird Science, Daredevil, and a legion of other classic comics. But he never forgot his childhood creation. He made several attempts at selling his concepts to various comic book publishers and animation companies, with limited success. Bill Pearson recently described a meeting between animator Ralph Bakshi and Wood: “[A]t one time Ralph Bakshi spent several days at Woody’s place, and had him all fired up about a Wizard King movie Bakshi said he wanted to produce. Well, if you ever saw the eventual movie Bakshi made [Wizards, 1977],

The Wizard King

33 ATTEMPTED to finish it. He sent me the 44 pages of script and 44 pages of art, but HALF of the panels were blank or had only the barest roughs laid in. The other panels were partially inked. The one unfinished panel I’ve sent you is the BEST and most finished of these!” Bill went on to explain that he sent half of the original art to another unnamed cartoonist, in hopes of getting him to complete the job. In the course of mailing, the package got lost and remains so. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to Xerox the light blue pencils before mailing, so no copies of those 21 pages exist. Bill concluded: “All I can say is, if 21 pages of unfinished art turn up somewhere, and it looks like Wood’s Wizard King, I’d sure like to have them back. Someday, if I can get the 44 pages together again, I’m confident someone will want to finish it and see it printed.... So, please, Michael, however you word it, make sure it’s clear people understand I am not sitting on a book that should be published. It doesn’t exist.” Perhaps it’s for the best that the book was never published. Wood was one of the comics’

before he’d had a chance to begin the project. However, I was in for a shock when Bill Pearson, Wood’s longtime assistant and friend, informed me that I was wrong. Though it had never been printed, Wood had indeed written and designed that final story. I asked permission to print a sample, and wondered why that story hadn’t been published. Bill wrote:

Michael, Yes, you have permission to run the Wizard King illustration. It’s a large panel, the top two-thirds of a page, but not a splash panel. There were several such large panels in the third, unpublished book. It’s one of the most finished, but still pretty ragged. He was blind in one eye at this time, from a stroke, but it’s all his work. It’s obvious he was racing against time to get it done, and hoping it would be better than the second book, which was done mostly by assistants. He sent it to me to letter before he normally would have, but before I could start it, he was dead. I don’t want to release any more of this unfinished art. Best wishes, Bill Following up on this, I asked Bill how much of the story Wood had written before his death, and whether the art had been fully penciled and inked. In an e-mail dated 2/7/02 Bill replied: “Wood did NOT finish the third book! He

Alter Ego #15