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Roy Thomas' Twin-Fawcett Comics Fanzine

KURT SCHAFFENBERGER GOLDEN AGE GREAT

& ALEX ROSS

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Art TM & © DC Comics; Shazam is TM DC Comics.

MODERN-DAY SHAZAM! MASTER

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No. 166 November 2020

RETROFAN #7

Featuring a JACLYN SMITH interview, as we reopen the Charlie’s Angels Casebook, and visit the Guinness World Records’ largest Charlie’s Angels collection. Plus: an exclusive interview with funnyman LARRY STORCH, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Captain Action, a vintage interview with Jonny Quest creator DOUG WILDEY, a visit to the Land of Oz, the ultra-rare Marvel World superhero playset, & more! (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.95 • Now shipping!

Vol. 3, No. 166 / November 2020 Editor

Roy Thomas

Associate Editor Jim Amash

Design & Layout

Christopher Day

Consulting Editor John Morrow

FCA Editor

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

Comic Crypt Editor

Michael T. Gilbert

Editorial Honor Roll

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

Proofreaders

Contents

Cover Artist

Writer/Editorial: The Once & Future Captain . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 FCA [Fawcett Collector Of America] #225 [Cover] . . . . . . . . 3

Rob Smentek William J. Dowlding Kurt Schaffenberger

Cover Colorist

The 1996 San Diego Comic-Con Kurt Schaffenberger Panel 4

Uncertain

With Special Thanks to: Heidi Amash Mark Ammerman Bob Bailey Ricky Terry Brisacque Bernie Bubnis Mike Burkey Bart Bush Glen Cadigan Aaron Caplan Nick Caputo J. Michael Catron John Cimino Shaun Clancy ComicLink (website) coollinesartwork. com (website) Chet Cox Sean Dulaney Shane Foley Stephan Friedt Ken Gale Paul Gambaccini Jeff Gelb Janet Gilbert Grand Comics Database (website) Jim Gray Walt Grogan Bruce Guthrie Dan Hagen

P.C. Hamerlinck presents a triple helping of Fawcett- (and DC-) related art history.

George Hagenauer Dennis Haycock Tom Hamilton Fred Janssen Josh Johnson Douglas (Gaff) Jones Jim Kealy Mark Lewis Jim Ludwig John Lustig Russ Maheras Bob McLain Doug Martin Mark Muller Ron Murphy Mark Nobleman Peter Normanton Nils Osmar Jake Oster Bud Plant Al Rodriguez Gene Reed Alex Ross Jason Sacks Gary Sassaman Janice Sheldon David Siegel Marc Svensson Dann Thomas Michael Vance Mark Voger Frank M. Young

This issue is dedicated to the memory of

Kurt & Dorothy Schaffenberger, Hy Fleishman, Nick Cuti, Frank McLaughlin, & Bill Schelly

Kurt & Dorothy Schaffenberger—from Captain Marvel to Lois Lane, and back again!

“Comics Are My Living—Not My Life!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The Public & Private Times of artist Kurt S., as recalled by Mark Voger.

Echoes Of Shazam! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Artist supreme Alex Ross shares his ultra-Shazam! tapestries—and the secrets behind them!

Tributes To Bill Schelly – Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Jeff Gelb showcases more memories of comics’ foremost biographer and fan historian.

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! Mort Weisinger: The Superman Behind Superman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Michael T. Gilbert spotlights Part I of Sam Moskowitz’s portrait of a major DC editor.

Ping-Pong & Peggy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Golden/Silver Age scripter John Broome’s 1998 memoirs, lucky Part XIII.

re: [correspondence, comments, & corrections] . . . . . . . . . 65 In Memoriam: Frank McLaughlin, Nick Cuti, & Hy Fleishman . . 71 From The Tomb Presents: Pre-Code Horror – Girls In Peril . . 75

Peter Normanton portrays damsels in distress—and how!—back in the fear-fraught ’50s!

On Our Cover: Kurt Schaffenberger was definitely one of the Fawcett-era artists who best made the jump from the Golden Age into the Silver. In fact, he went from Captain Marvel to Superman—which is a leap upward, downward, or sideways, depending on one’s point of view. In 1977 he contributed a great illo of the World’s Mightiest Mortal and Dr. Sivana for that year’s DC Calendar—and we couldn’t wait to celebrate it as an Alter Ego cover! Coloring may be by DC production chief Sol Harrison. [TM & © DC Comics.] Above: One of the most important comic artists of recent decades has been Alex Ross, beginning with his work on the 1994 painted Marvel series entitled simply Marvels—and followed up by various painted series for Marvel, DC, Dynamite, et al. He has worked with virtually the entire Marvel and DC Universes, and with many public domain heroes—yet in a very real sense some of his most memorable work has been done with the original Captain Marvel, as per this powerful illustration provided us by the good people at ComicLink. [TM & © DC Comics.] Alter Ego TM is published 6 times a year by TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: 32 Bluebird Trail, St. Matthews, SC 29135, USA. Fax: (803) 826-6501; e-mail: roydann@ntinet.com. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Six-issue subscriptions: $67 US, $101 Elsewhere, $27 Digital Only. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © Roy Thomas. Alter Ego is a TM of Roy & Dann Thomas. FCA is a TM of P.C. Hamerlinck. Printed in China. ISSN: 1932-6890. FIRST PRINTING.

The Once & Future Captain writer/editorial

t’s been a little while since an issue of Alter Ego has spotlighted the FCA [Fawcett Collectors of America], but it’s back with a vengeance!

ultra-collector Harry Matesky—and coverage of non-Shazamic Fawcett heroes such as Spy Smasher, Ibis the Invincible, Captain Video, etc. And there’ll be more of their ilk in near-future editions.

We lead off with a transcription of a one-man panel from 1996 featuring artist Kurt Schaffenberger (“one man,” yes—but his sparkling wife Dorothy was on hand, too, and piped in with welcome ad libs)… followed by Mark Voger’s account of his friendship with the “Schaffs.” Since Kurt was one of the handful of artists most closely associated with the Marvel Family title, especially in its later years, he fulfills our “Golden Age” quota for the issue, for sure! And that’s despite the fact that, beginning in the last half of the 1950s, he also became the major artist of DC’s Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane, and thus segued into drawing the Man of Steel, who for years had vied with the so-called World’s Mightiest Mortal for the title of the most popular (not to mention the strongest) super-hero in the whole wide four-color world.

However, true is true: The absolute epitome of Fawcett’s comicbook line during the 1940s and up through 1953 was Captain Marvel—and, to a lesser extent, his lightning-powered Family unit. And that’s what’s in the dead center of our bullseye this time around.

And, not to neglect more recent times, we’re also proud to print artwork and an article by Alex Ross, one of the most influential comics artists of the past quarter of a century, ever since his and Kurt Busiek’s series Marvels. But Alex, whose career really falls outside A/E’s “up through 1975” franchise, has a special Golden and Silver Age relevance this time, as he’s given us permission to print his two huge tableaux of virtually every comics hero ever directly influenced by Fawcett’s Big Red Cheese—and that’s a whole multitude of long-underwear stalwarts. As longtime editor/proprietor (and erstwhile publisher) of FCA, our San Diego-based buddy P.C. Hamerlinck has been striving of late, after well over 200 editions, to focus when possible on other Fawcett mainstays than Captain Marvel and his extended Family of Junior, Mary, Uncle, Bunny, et al. We’ve seen welcome studies of creators like Manly Wade Wellman, Walter Gibson, William Woolfolk, and Sven Elven—a piece on Captain Marvel

On a personal note: I’ve been happy, since 1967, to be associated with more than one Marvel Comics hero who’s borne the moniker “Captain Marvel.” I became the scripter of the first of those with his second outing, after he’d been launched by Stan Lee and Gene Colan. I was pleased, two years later, to step in and re-vamp Mar-Vell in conjunction with Gil Kane. And it was a source of amusement when I learned that not only had Carol Danvers (a character I’d co-created in the first “Captain Marvel” story I ever wrote) become a third and quite popular Marvel Captain Marvel, and eventually the star of a blockbuster movie… but that the seeds of Carol’s super-powers had been sown in one of the 1969-70 Captain Marvel issues Gil and I had done. Still, I’m likewise proud to have had the chance, at DC during the ’80s, to scribe a number of Superman/Captain Marvel encounters, to restore Hoppy the Marvel Bunny to comics, and to become the first writer to play around with the notion that Cap and Billy were indeed the same person merely wearing different bodies—two years before the movie Big came out. In short—as long as I’m around, there’ll always be a place for Captain Marvel—including the original Captain Marvel—in the pages of Alter Ego.

Bestest,

COMING IN DECEMBER

167

A Star-Spangled Salute To

SYD SHORES

racters, Inc.]

[Art TM & © Marvel Cha

• An authentic Golden Age image—Captain America & Bucky by SYD SHORES! • A triple bird’s-eye look at SYD SHORES, Timely/Marvel mainstay of the 1940s & ’50s— and mighty Marvel embellisher of the 1960s & ’70s! POVs by daughter NANCY SHORES KARLEBACH—Timely artist ALLEN BELLMAN—and comics historian DR. MICHAEL J. VASSALLO! With additional art & artifacts by JOE SIMON & JACK KIRBY, AL AVISON, STAN LEE, et al.! • Remember The Green Turtle back in A/E #164? Welcome to an in-depth look at his creator, CHU HING—one of the first Asian-American artists in the U.S. comicbook industry! And he didn’t stop with Ol’ Shellback! • PLUS: FCA—MICHAEL T. GILBERT with more on Superman editor MORT WEISINGER— JOHN BROOME, Part XIV—& MORE!!

TwoMorrows. The Future of Comics History.

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FCA

EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION: A favorite among Golden-Silver-Bronze Age comicbook connoisseurs, genial gentleman Kurt Schaffenberger—the illustrator with the clean line and distinguishing style—was best known for his polished work on Fawcett’s Marvel Family as well as being the preeminent and definitive Lois Lane artist at DC Comics. Kurt got his start at Jack Binder’s Englewood, New Jersey, studio, where he was part of a comicbook art-producing “assembly line” that included many of his fellow Pratt Institute graduates. During World War II, Kurt served for four years with Special Services in England and the OSS (forerunner of the CIA). After the war, he returned to what became his life’s work. From the Marvel Family to the Superman Family, Captain Marvel was his unequivocal favorite out of all the assignments that had

Kurt & Dorothy Schaffenberger in November 1998, framed by: (Left:) Schaffenberger’s cover for The Marvel Family #69 (March 1952). Besides C.C. Beck, Kurt was the other main artist for the World’s Mightiest Family. [Shazam heroes, Billy Batson, Mary Batson, & Freddy Freeman TM & © DC Comics.] (Right:) The everinquisitive and intrepid newspaper reporter finds herself in another jam on Schaffenberger’s cover for Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane #76 (Aug. 1967). [TM & © DC Comics.]

made their way onto his drawing board. I had the pleasure of meeting Kurt in 1995, and he will always remain one of my artistic heroes. In the following year, he was a special guest at the San Diego Comic-Con International, where he received the Inkpot Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comic Arts. At the convention, he participated in a Golden Age panel (to be featured in a future issue) and in the following solo panel. The “panel” was unique in that, throughout its entire duration, it was simply Kurt interacting with fans in a 45-minute Q&A session without a moderator. Thanks to super-fan David Siegel for arranging Kurt’s appearance at the convention that year, and to archivist Marc Svensson—preserver and protector of Comic-Con panels past. —P.C. Hamerlinck.

The 1996 San Diego Comic-Con Kurt Schaffenberger Panel

HOST: Could you start by telling us a little bit about your first interest in comics and how you decided to turn them into a career? KURT SCHAFFENBERGER: Well, I did not have an interest in comics. When I started in 1941, I knew nothing about them. I had graduated from art school [Pratt Institute], and the first job I landed [the Jack Binder studio] was drawing comics … and I’ve been stuck in it ever since. [laughs] AUDIENCE MEMBER: I’d like to hear about your work at Fawcett. SCHAFFENBERGER: Well, they were good years. We were young… newlyweds. I worked there for a number of years, until 1952 [sic–it was actually 1953]. The trial—Superman [National] vs. Fawcett—had been going on. My wife had attended several of the hearings, and things seemed to have been going very well for Fawcett—until one day, I get a phone call from [editor] Wendell Crowley telling me it was over and I was no longer employed drawing comics. And then I spent some years trying to line up new assignments. Finally, in 1957, while my wife and I were in Maine on vacation, I got a phone call from Otto Binder telling me that Mort Weisinger is looking for an artist to do Lois Lane. So, when we got home, I packed up some samples, took them over and showed them to Weisinger, and he hired me. I drew Lois Lane for many years. AUDIENCE MEMBER: Kurt, did you work from home or work in the DC bullpen? SCHAFFENBERGER: I never worked in the bullpen there. I had a studio built on the back of my house. I had a 4’ x 9’ picture window—a beautiful place to work—and I worked there for many years, until we sold the house back in ’89 and moved to central New Jersey from northern New Jersey. AUDIENCE MEMBER: What working hours did you keep? Jack Kirby had worked in the early morning hours. That was his time to be creative. SCHAFFENBERGER: Not mine. [laughs] I started in the mornings, but generally what I had done in the morning I wound up doing over again at night. My best hours were from about noon until 6 p.m. when we’d knock off for dinner. And then I’d generally work

How Kurt Schaffenberger Got His (Second) Job (Above:) Writer Otto Binder and artist Kurt Schaffenberger’s “How Lois Lane Got Her Job” from Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane #17 (May 1960). During his ’96 San Diego Comic-Con solo panel, Kurt explained to fans how he (through a tip from Otto) landed his first “Lois Lane” assignment in 1957. [TM & © DC Comics.] (Right:) Otto, Dorothy, and Kurt at New Hampshire’s White Mountains National Forest, 1948. Photo taken by Ione Binder.

for a few more hours, until 10 o’clock at night. We had a dog at the time who could tell time. He knew when 10 o’clock rolled around and it was time for his walk. And he would not let me forget it. AUDIENCE MEMBER: Can you tell us more about Wendell Crowley? SCHAFFENBERGER: He was a giant of a man, physically. He stood a good 6’9”. Jack Binder hired him. Initially, he was an office boy for us. Wendell would take the completed pages from Binder’s studio in Englewood, New Jersey, and go deliver them in New York City. He gradually worked his way up to where he became an editor for Fawcett during the war. A lot of the guys from Binder’s studio were off in the service, including me. AUDIENCE MEMBER: How were you paid at the Binder shop? SCHAFFENBERGER: He got paid and he paid us. AUDIENCE MEMBER: When did you meet C.C. Beck? SCHAFFENBERGER: I happened to meet Beck and his family through Jack Binder, as they were personal friends. Beck was living fairly close by to Binder, and we used to have a group of us that would get together every Saturday night for bowling, then head back to one of our homes for beer and drinks…

From Captain Marvel To Lois Lane--And Back Again!

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Did you like drawing the “Supergirl” stories? SCHAFFENBERGER: I didn’t much care for “Supergirl.” The character was too limiting, I thought. It was not an appealing character for me, but I was told to draw it. AUDIENCE MEMBER: Do you have any idea why they took you off Lois Lane and gave you “Supergirl”? SCHAFFENBERGER: I don’t know. I had no choice in the matter. Like I said, they told me what to do and I did it.

That’s The Ol’ Olympic Spirit! (Below & top right:) Young Kurt Schaffenberger, painting a picture at the Pratt Institute—juxtaposed with one of his “Captain Marvel” splashes from the last few years of Fawcett’s comics line. From Whiz Comics #125 (Sept. 1950). Script by—who else?— Otto Binder. [Shazam hero & Billy Batson TM & © DC Comics.]

(Right:) Kurt designed ACG’s hero “Magicman”—who apparently inherited Ibis the Invincible’s turban. Here is “Lou Wahl’s” cover for Forbidden Worlds #138 (Sept. 1966). Thanks to Michael Vance. [TM & © Charlton Media or its successors in interest.]

“Comics Are My Living— Not My Life”

The Life & Private Times of KURT SCHAFFENBERGER by Mark Voger

Kurt & Dorothy Schaffenberger at their New Jersey home in 1998 (photo by Kathy Voglesong.) At left is the splash page of Kurt’s very first story for Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane— the lead yarn in issue #1 (March-April 1958). Script by his old Fawcett buddy, Otto Binder. Courtesy of Bob Bailey. [TM & © DC Comics.]

ere are some things Kurt Schaffenberger was not: A back-slapper. An egotist. A self-promoter. An insufferable bore.

Kurt was a walking comicbook legend, not that you’d know it from speaking with him. “Comics are my living, not my life,” was one telling Kurt-ism. This simultaneously amused and frustrated my buddy Howard Bender and me. Howard drew stories for DC Comics in the ’80s, but was as much a fan as an artist. Me, I was just a fan who happened to write a dopey, sporadic newspaper column about comics. The time and place was 1989 in coastal Ocean County, New Jersey, where Kurt and his wife Dorothy had recently relocated from River Edge, also in NJ. Howard and I both loved the so-called “Silver Age of Comics” (1956 through the early ’70s), a period during which Kurt reached the apex of his career with his vastly entertaining 10-year run on Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane. What a book that was! Kurt’s Lois Lane was firmly a Silver Age Superman title, as edited by DC’s Mort Weisinger, who enforced tight narrative control and strict continuity throughout the multititle Superman line. (Kurt once called Weisinger a “sadist.”) But since Lois — Daily Planet reporter and Superman’s love interest — was the hero of the book, it had a charm and whimsy that played perfectly to Kurt’s illustrative gifts. (Kurt once categorized his style as “caricatured realism,” an apt descriptor.) So, in ’89, Kurt and Dorothy moved to Brick, NJ, where I lived at the time. Howard — who knew Kurt professionally and lived in nearby Toms River — helped arrange an interview. I spoke with Kurt in the living room of his new home in a bucolic, cookie-cutter retirement community.

The Life & Private Times of Kurt Schaffenberger

preferred height; his overhead lamp positioned over the drawing board; his pencils, brushes, quills, and erasers at the ready in his carousel; his inkwell, rag, straight-edge and T-square; his stash of illustration board in a tall box leaning against the side of his table; the framed awards and original artwork by fellow pros hanging on the walls. We took it all in and, for those moments, the studio was quiet and still. Kurt’s presence was powerful. It felt as if he was in the room. Dorothy died in 2009, after I had joined The Star-Ledger newspaper based in Newark. I wrote about her in a year-end column. After all, this was the woman who had posed for Lois Lane — whether or not her husband acknowledged it. The funny thing is, when I first saw Kurt Schaffenberger’s comicbook artwork as a child, it was pure, wholesome, escapist entertainment. When I viewed it as a young adult, it transported me back to my childhood. Today when I see it, I’m reminded of those 12 brief, wonderful years as a friend of the Schaffenbergers— two funny, talented, caring human beings. Kurt poured so much of himself and his wife into those pages that, for a moment, I’m with them again. Laughing. Mark Voger is the author of Hero Gets Girl! The Life and Art of Kurt Schaffenberger (2003, TwoMorrows Publishing).

“Have A Pepsi Day” (Below:) In 1978, Pepsi produced a large, laminated placemat showcasing a Sunday-page-styled comic strip titled “The Shazam! Story”—a retelling of Captain Marvel’s origin—a commercial job specifically drawn for Pepsi by Kurt Schaffenberger. Writer unknown, but adapted from the 1940 script by Bill Parker. Thanks to Walt Grogan for the scan. [Shazam, Shazam hero, & Billy Batson TM & © DC Comics; Pepsi is a trademark of Pepsico or successors in interest.]

The Master-full Kurt Schaffenberger (Above:) Kurt peruses his collection of Fawcett comics for which he did stories and covers featuring Captain Marvel Jr. (and Yogi Berra!)—in the dining room of his New Jersey home in 1998. Photo by Kathy Voglesong.

ECHOES OF SHAZAM!

The Tale Behind Two Titanic Tapestries Of CAPTAIN MARVEL’s Shadows by Alex Ross

o tell the story of who all is in the crazy piece of art seen on the following two pages, I have to first share the origin of how it came to be. At Christmas time in 2018, I had asked my sister Normandie for an old album from the ’70s that I knew she had in her collection. Instead of just giving me that copy, she thought it would be a good idea to buy me one for the holiday. The album was the soundtrack to the film, Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels, which I principally wanted for the elaborate cover artwork (which was from the movie’s poster). I knew that this overstuffed, trippy image would inspire me on some kind of composition. I thought that I might translate the layout to something involving super-heroes on one of my various cover gigs. As it worked out, on Christmas evening, after all the gifts were opened, I was thinking about this newly acquired record as I sat and watched TV. It eventually dawned on me that the artwork’s looming head of Frank Zappa could be reinterpreted as the ancient wizard Shazam, and that the whole image could fulfill a long-held ambition to illustrate all of the various characters inspired by one of my favorite heroes—the great, original, and true Captain Marvel. By the evening’s end, I had laid out an 11” x 17” drawing featuring tons of characters.

Motivation You see, I had harbored this concept for a long while, because the individual distinctive qualities that defined this character were so influential on countless other properties; but I felt he was overlooked for the creative debt owed to him. With Superman, it is generally understood that the entire genre of super-heroes is because of him. Batman and Wonder Woman are recognized for their forerunner status and for the archetypal details they pioneered. Captain Marvel is the other character who premiered in that same period and introduced as many of the primal concepts of super-hero lore as they did, but his legacy was compromised. It could be argued that it was stolen from him. DC’s longstanding suit against Captain Marvel’s publisher over alleged copying of their property, Superman, pressured Fawcett Publications to eventually agree to stop making their comics and to no longer compete with them in the marketplace. When comics were selling the most they ever did — in the millions of copies — Captain Marvel and his associated Marvel Family line of books reigned supreme. They were better at this than everybody else. As most readers of comics history know, the concept couldn’t stay gone forever, and Captain Marvel continued to be copied in one way or another, from his design to his essential being—as a figure of two lives combined in one. The hero who begins as one

Frank Zappa & Alex Ross – Together Again For The First Time! (Left:) The cover art to the soundtrack album from Frank Zappa’s 1971 film 200 Motels served as an inspiration to— (Below:) —Alex Ross, artist of such masterworks as Marvel’s Marvels and DC’s Justice. [Album cover TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.]

body and then transforms instantaneously into another form, whether that’s a costumed, powered identity or an altogether different body, is Captain Marvel’s innovation. If there were a patent for such ideas, the original publisher would have collected massively. They also wouldn’t have likely conceded to DC’s bullying. But that was the point, wasn’t it? DC thought they should safeguard all of the essential tropes of superheroes as Superman initially defined them, and any close imitator was seen as a threat, particularly if it was giving them a run for their money. Today, it might seem absurd to have this fight, since similarities between concepts are everywhere in comics and film, and it’s nearly impossible to put a lid on ideas. The original Captain Marvel would return twenty years after his departure in the 1950s, in time to impress kids like I was in the ’70s with both his comics and his Saturday morning live-action TV show. The only thing is, by then, he wasn’t able to use his actual name in the titles for either. His magic word “Shazam!” would be his signifier for a new generation’s introduction to him. Even though you would clearly learn that he was Captain Marvel and that Shazam was the wizard who gave him these powers, it had an undermining effect on understanding his story. Marvel Comics’ effort to graft the name Captain Marvel onto somebody, anybody, to preserve their new claim took away from the original, but then it was DC who now published his return, and, frankly, they deserved the problem. [NOTE: Alex’s double-page composition is seen on the following two pages, after which his article continues.]

The Tale Behind Two Titanic Tapestries Of Captain Marvel’s Shadows

31. The Jaguar

49. Captain Atom (Australia)

32. Bananaman (UK)

50. Tanist from DC One Million

33. Thunderbolt Jaxon

51. Miraclewoman (UK)

34. Mighty Mite and Master Mite

52. Capt. TV

35. Alter Ego and Rob Lindsay

53. Arthur and the Sword

36. Amethyst

54. Goodguy aka Major Marvel, Marvel Mouse, Mitey Marvel, Minor Marvel, Mz Marvel, Moms Marvel

37. Blue Beetle and Dan Garrett 38. Captain Miracle and Billy Batista 39. Captain Thunder and Blue Bolt 40. She-Ra 41. Shazam (the music app) 42. Abuse 43. Jughead and Captain Hero 44. Golden Lad and Golden Girl 45. The Thing and Benjy Grimm – “Thing-Ring, Do Your Thing!” (TV) 46. Mr. Miracle 47. Captain Miracle (UK) 48. The Green Lama and Jethro Dumont

Benito Gallego’s ORIGINAL ART for SALE directly from the Artist Contact benitogallego@gmail.com

55. Captain/Colonel Sivanna 56. Father Patriot and Major Victory 57. Zazzo and Zazzo-Plus 58. Reuben Reuben and Red Rube 59. Bobby Fletcher and Masterman 60. Duane Eddy from the single “Shazam!” 61. Jim Logan and Captain Universe (UK) 62. Miracle Man, John Chapman, and Supercoat (UK) 63. Tommy Troy and the Silver Spider 64. Hector Ayala and the White Tiger

Tributes To BILL SCHELLY –Part 2

More Memories Of The Comics’ Foremost Biographer & Fandom Historian Assembled & Conducted by Jeff Gelb

A/E

EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION: For most of the twenty years to date of the life of Alter Ego, Volume 3, Bill Schelly was a vital part of a small coterie of regular contributors devoted to recording the history of comicbooks and the comics fandom movement from the earliest days through, mostly, the first half of the 1970s. Even before that, he had written and/or edited several seminal books on fandom, and in more recent years he had become (at the very least) one of the field’s preeminent biographers. He passed away on September 12, 2019, of multiple myeloma, at the too-young age of 67. We prevailed upon his good friend Jeff Gelb to put together a tribute to Bill, by inviting some of his friends and colleagues to write their reminiscences of Bill and their thoughts on his place in the history of the comics fandom movement he did so much to commemorate and to further. The first part of this tribute appeared in our previous issue. Here are the others of the commentaries collected by Jeff, whose own memories of Bill were printed in #165... and topped off by a poem which Jeff wrote about his longtime friend…

Bill Schelly holding a copy of his 2008 biography Joe Kubert: Man of Rock—and a letter that he treasured from the legendary artist, upon receiving copies of it hot off the presses. Thanks to Jeff Gelb.

Bart Bush Bill Schelly was one of the greatest gifts to comics fandom. Bill’s talents both as an artist and a writer made him a uniquely qualified person to track and preserve our history. I met Bill in the 1970s; first at the NYC Con in 1973, as he tried to make his name in professional comics world… Years later, he became a regular guest of honor at our Oklahoma (OAF) conventions, and always entertained us with his latest book, A/E article, or comics project. To listen and learn from Bill was always a rewarding experience.

Bart Bush was the interview subject of two of Bill’s “Comic Fandom Archives” segments, in A/E #159 & 160.

The biographies were his strong suit. We loved every one… Otto Binder, Kurtzman, Stanley, Kubert, Warren, etc. His masterful writing touch make every book a joy to read, and his amazing research always turned up fascinating new stories and behind-the-scenes details. Once you started one of Bill’s books, you weren’t going to put the page-turner down till finished! We are very fortunate to have his tomes of comics fandom

and comics history to serve as a basis for future biographers and researchers. A master at his game, a legend now gone, but never, ever forgotten. We will carry on in your memory and help keep fandom alive, Bill. That’s the least we can do. Bart Bush has been a comics fan since 1958, and is a former fanzine editor (OAF, Harvey Collector, Comic Detective, Meriwell Reader) and current Oklahoma comics convention promoter.

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!

Mort Weisinger: The Superman Behind Superman (Part 1) by Michael T. Gilbert

hile downloading a run of Amazing Stories recently, I stumbled across a fascinating article I thought worth sharing. Respected sci-fi writer, historian, and editor Sam Moskowitz had written a number of profiles on science-fiction luminaries for that magazine. The one featured in Amazing Stories, Vol. 38, #8 (Aug. 1964), put the spotlight on legendary Superman editor Mort Weisinger. This article is especially fascinating, appearing little more than a year before the TV show brought increased attention to comicbooks. In 1964, Mort, a longtime sci-fi fan, was near the peak of his influence as editor of DC’s most iconic hero. By the end of the decade, Mort’s influence would fade as tastes changed. When he retired in 1970, it was another signpost marking the end of comics’ Silver Age. Eight years later, on May 7th (this writer’s 27th birthday, oddly enough), Mort Weisinger suffered a fatal heart attack. We’d like to thank Sam Moskowitz’s nephew, Dennis Haycock, for permitting us to reprint this article (edited slightly, and with art and photos added). In an e-mail dated July 10, 2018, Dennis briefly commented on Sam and his wife, Dr. Christine Haycock: “Michael, you have my permission to use his article. I know that a lot of his [Sam’s} work was sometimes opinionated and controversial but always well researched. It’s cool to hear from people that they enjoyed his many years of work. Sad to say, my Aunt passed away in 2008. A copy of the magazine would be great. Thanks and good luck with your article.“

Amazing… But True!

And now…

Sci-Fi Profile: Is It a Bird? Is It A Plane? No, It’s The Superman Behind Superman—Mort Weisinger by Sam Moskowitz

hat would American Culture be today without the existence of the fabulous comic strip character, Superman? Who does not know the chant, as famous as that of the tobacco auctioneer, that goes: “It’s a bird… it’s a plane… it’s—Superman!!!”

Sam Moskowitz’s article ran in the August 1964 issue of Amazing Stories (Vol. 38, #8). It sported this handsome cover by Richard McKenna. [© Ziff-Davis or successors in interest.]

Americans is enormous. Now, other influential comic strips—such as Pogo and Li’l Abner—have made their creators — Walt Kelly and Al Capp — well-known names. They are asked to contribute their ideas on the social scene to thoughtful journals. But the truth is their comics are read more by adults than by youngsters, and it is debatable if they have captured anywhere near as large a segment of the youthful American audience. Isn’t it logical to assume that we ought to know something about the ideas, ethics, prejudices, and preferences of the man who guides the story-line for Superman? Yet the man behind Superman is virtually unknown. What is even more unknown is that he is also one of the founding fans, writers, and editors of science-fiction. His name is Mortimer Weisinger, and he does not wear a cape.

Who can reckon the impact of this indestructible creature, capable of flight, X-ray vision, time travel, accelerated motion? How can you estimate the influence of a folk-hero which is sustained and reinforced each year by seven comic books, daily and Sunday newspaper comic strips, a daily television program, motion pictures, and an almost endless array of Superman-franchised toys, games, costumes, novelties?

Sam Moskowitz

Superman’s influence on millions of

Weisinger was born in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan on April 25, 1915. While Mortimer early showed a predilection for the imaginative works of Jules Verne and Edgar Allan Poe, he balanced this tendency with a

Mort Weisinger: The Superman Behind Superman (Part 1)

healthy interest in the Rover Boys and Motor Boys series. The fatal shift came when his parents sent him to a camp one summer and he borrowed the counselor’s copy of the Aug. 1928 Amazing Stories featuring “Armageddon 2419,” featuring the first Buck Rogers story and the initial installment of [Edward E. “Doc” Smith’s] “The Skylark of Space.” In later years Weisinger’s fondness for food made him the perfect subject to one day invent a widely adopted weight-losing diet. But this tendency was curbed as a teenager by his skipping lunch to accumulate funds to secure overpriced back issues of Amazing Stories, Science and Invention, and Electrical Experimenter from New York book shops. The great thrill of his life was a personal visit to [early sci-fi publisher] Hugo Gernsback. Hyman Weisinger manufactured slippers in Passaic, NJ, and the flaming passion of his life was to see his son Mortimer become a doctor. Mort enrolled at New York University, but neglected to mention to his mother that he was majoring in journalism. He showed his experimental attempts at fiction, written in longhand, to a slightly older scientifictioneer, Allen Glasser, who had sold a few minor efforts and was especially astute at winning prize contests. A single bit of advice from Glasser stayed with him: “The most important thing in writing a story or winning a contest is the angle; you must have an angle that no one else has thought of.” The unusual story twist, the novel approach in an article, and an off-beat plotting in comic strip continuities were to become Mort Weisinger’s trademarks and the foundation of his later success.

Mort Weisinger from a 1950s home movie. This photo appears on Mark Nobleman’s Noblemania website. [© the respective copyright holders.]

While the science-fiction magazines fascinated him, he felt that an esprit de corps was lacking. This same feeling was held by others. A Chicago fan, Walter Dennis, together with Raymond A. Palmer of Milwaukee (who had not yet cracked the ranks of professional science-fiction writers), helped to organize the Science Correspondence Club in 1929. The first issue of a mimeographed bulletin called The Comet (later Cosmology) from this club was dated May 1930. Glasser and Dennis formed a similar organization, The Scienceers. Weisinger joined immediately upon hearing of the group and became one of its most active members, serving as treasurer and pressing for the publication of a club bulletin. The Planet, dated July, 1930, had Glasser as editor and Weisinger as associate editor. While the bulletin of the Science Correspondence Club was mainly a rehash of fundamental science, that of the Scienceers, in a sprightly fashion, threw more emphasis on sciencefiction. The Planet (which lasted six issues) was actually the first of the science-fiction magazines. The Club received a publicity break when Glasser won a $20 third prize in Science Wonder Quarterly’s competition, “What I Have Done to Spread Science-Fiction.” His prize-winning entry attracted inquiries from many parts of the country (two other chapters were attempted), and was responsible for the addition of Julius Schwartz, a noted collector of science-fiction. Schwartz formed a friendship with Mort Weisinger, which was to become a life-long one.

Fans Forever! Some very notable science-fiction fans in the 1930s, in a rather fuzzythird-generation photo. (Left to right:) Mort Weisinger, Ray A. Palmer, Ed Weisinger, and Julius Schwartz. Diminutive Ray was later honored by having his name used for the alter ego of DC’s Silver Age Atom. Other sci-fi fans of the era (not pictured here) included future DC creators Otto Binder, Jerry Siegel, and Joe Shuster. [© the respective copyright holders.]

[Pulp-magazine editor/publisher Hugo] Gernsback became interested in the group and made arrangements for a meeting to be held at the New York Museum of Natural History. He sent to that meeting his editor, David Lasser, who had just formed The American Interplanetary Society, which then seemed even more far out than a literary discussion group on science-fiction. For that matter, the first issue of The Bulletin of the American Interplanetary Society (June 1930) was a four-paged mimeographed affair even less pretentious than The Scienceers’ Planet. Lasser exerted considerable pressure on The Scienceers to merge with the American Interplanetary Society. When the members appeared reluctant, payment for rental of the hall failed to materialize from [Gernsback’s SF pulp mag] Wonder Stories. The club broke apart in violent disagreement as to whether they should foot the obligation. (In retrospect, a merger with The American Interplanetary Society—which has since become The American Rocket Society, the world’s most respected civilian group and publishers of Astronautics—would scarcely have been a sad fate.)

Alter Ego #166