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Roy Thomas’ Hangin’-Tough Comics Fanzine

A STAR-STUDDED SALUTE TO GOLDEN/SILVER/BRONZE AGE GREAT

IRV NOVICK by JOHN COATES & DEWEY CASSELL FROM MLJ’s SHIELD & STEEL STERLING TO BATMAN, THE FLASH, & SOME OF DC’s MOST MEMORABLE WAR COMICS!

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No. 183 Sept. 2023

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Vol. 3, No. 183 Sept. 2023 Editor

Roy Thomas

Associate Editor Jim Amash

Design & Layout

Christopher Day

Consulting Editor John Morrow

FCA Editor

P.C. Hamerlinck Mark Lewis (Cover Coordinator)

Comic Crypt Editor

Michael T. Gilbert

Editorial Honor Roll

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

Proofreaders

William J. Dowlding David Baldy

Cover Artist & Colorist Irv Novick

With Special Thanks to:

Mike Grell Heidi Amash Paul Handler Richard J. Arndt Heritage Art Bob Bailey Auctions Jean Bails Mike Jackson Sy Barry Sharon Karibian Cary Bates David Karoll Jim Beard Nick Katradis Bonnie Biro Jim Kealy Dewey Cassell Henry Kujawa Paul Castiglia Paul Levitz Mike Catron Art Lortie John Cimino Michael Lovitz Shaun Clancy Jim Ludwig John Coates Brian K. Morris Comic Book Plus Mark Muller (website) Kim Novick Jon B. Cooke Wayne Novick Chet Cox Denise Ortell Brian Cronin Stephen Donnelly Joe Petrilak Rune Rasmussen Michael Dunne Ralph Reese Mark Evanier James Rosen George Fears Bob Rozakis Shane Foley Leslie Novick Frank Randy Sargent Pierangelo Serafin Jeff Gelb Jatinder Ghataora David Siegel Robin Snyder Frank Giella Brian Stewart Janet Gilbert Bryan Stroud Penny Gold Dann Thomas Grand Comics John Wells Database Eddy Zeno (website)

Contents Writer/Editorial: Introduction By John Coates . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Irv Novick: A Heroes’ Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 John Coates & Dewey Cassell’s in-depth coverage of a major comicbook artist.

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! “My Life With Wood” (Part 1) . . 65 Ralph Reese tells Michael T. Gilbert of his apprenticeship with the great Wally Wood.

FCA [Fawcett Collectors Of America] #242 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 P.C. Hamerlinck showcases Shaun Clancy on “The Whiz Bang Life of Captain Billy.”

On Our Cover: Some years ago, our featured artist Irv Novick seems to have made a gift of his original cover art for Pep Comics #17 (July 1941)—the issue that introduced the sinister new masked hero The Hangman—to his fellow MLJ artist Ed Goggin. Far as we know, Irv even provided the coloring. While his work on Batman, The Flash, and DC’s war comics has reached more readers over the ensuing decades, authors/providers John Coates and Dewey Cassell and Alter Ego’s erudite editor conferred with TwoMorrows Publisher John Morrow… and the decision was made that the pulsating Pep cover should front this issue! Our thanks to Heritage Art Auctions for the pristine scan! [TM & © Archie Comic Publications, Inc.] Above: Penciler Irv Novick, inker Dick Giordano, and writer Denny O’Neil restored Catwoman’s glamorous 1940s garb in this story done for Batman #266 (Aug. 1975). Of course, editor Julius Schwartz might’ve had something to do with that decision as well. [TM & © DC Comics.] Alter EgoTM issue 183, September 2023 (ISSN 1932-6890) is published bi-monthly by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Periodicals postage paid at Raleigh, NC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Alter Ego, c/o TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614.

This issue is dedicated to the memory of

Irv Novick

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: $73 US, $111 Elsewhere, $29 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. FIRST PRINTING.

Article Title writer/editorial

A/E EDITOR’S INTRO: Recently, comics historians John Coates and Dewey Cassell offered us the opportunity to feature an abridged version of a book they had assembled on the life and art of comics artist Irv Novick, especially noted for his work on “The Shield,” “Batman,” “The Flash,” and DC Comics war series—and we eagerly accepted. Since every

page is at a premium this issue, I’m presenting John Coates’ foreword to the material as this issue’s “writer/editorial.” Our letters section will return next issue. So, without further ado… Bestest,

Introduction by JOHN COATES W hen most fans think of Irv Novick, they immediately envision one of four aspects of his over 50-year history of drawing comicbooks.

First, they may remember Irv as the co-creator of the first patriotic hero in comics, The Shield, who debuted in Pep Comics #1 (Jan. 1940), more than a year before the now better-known patriotic hero who debuted in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941). In the early 1940s, Irv was a major artist at MLJ Comics (now Archie) on such titles as Blue Ribbon Comics, Top-Notch Comics, Pep Comics, Zip Comics, Jackpot Comics, Black Hood Comics, Shield-Wizard Comics, Hangman Comics, et al. Or, they think of his work on DC Comics’ legendary “Big Five” war books (Our Army At War, All-American Men of War, Star Spangled War Stories, Our Fighting Forces, and G.I. Combat) under editor Bob Kanigher. Perhaps they recall Novick’s being one of the primary artists on “Batman” stories from the late ’60s through the ’70s, where he excelled in adding darker tones and in continuing the realism brought to the hero by Neal Adams, while still making the character his own. And finally, they might fondly remember his decade-long association with The Flash, where he defined Barry Allen’s look for comics readers of the ’70s.

Which brings you to me….

I began reading The Flash with issue #223 (Sept-Oct 1973). I immediately became a fan of Irv’s art and still consider his version of Barry Allen the definitive depiction of the character. (Apologies to Carmine Infantino fans. I also love Infantino’s work, but we all have our own personal Golden Age, right?)

In the early 1990s, I began to conduct interviews with various Golden and Silver Age artists, Irv being one. At first, he was apprehensive and a bit guarded about being interviewed. Very pleasant—not rude—just a bit confused as to why anyone would want to hear from or about him. When he had retired in the early 1990s, he had no knowledge of fandom, conventions, etc. Over the course of our conversations, his astonishment turned to amusement, then fondness, and finally thankfulness, remembering his career and the people he had collaborated with. He was truly glad that his work was remembered, and treasured, though he continued to admit he never understood why! Irv passed away on December 10, 2004, at the age of 88. Maybe, just maybe, this issue of Alter Ego will make it clear why Irv Novick’s work is esteemed by more than one comicbook generation. Enjoy this tribute to the artist and his art!

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IRV NOVICK: A Heroes’ Artist by John Coates & Dewey Cassell

Foreword by Denny O’Neil

ush, step over here, out of the light. I’ve a secret for you. But I won’t reveal it yet, not until I’ve compelled you to slog through about 462 words of questionable prose...

Julius Schwartz & Irv Novick

Our subject is M. Irv Novick. You may know him as an artist who draws Batman. Elsewhere in this excellent volume, you can learn that Batman has been plying his trade, which is entertaining you by righteously, cleverly apprehending lawbreakers—call them Denny O’Neil “villains.” This he has been doing for, as I write this, 80 years, ever since his debut in 1939 in Detective Comics. Popular guy? I’ll say! Listen, Batman has been featured in every medium that can be made to tell stories. Radio, television, movies, novels, drama, short fiction, roller coasters! (no kidding), bubble gum cards (still not kidding)! Did I mention theatre? Well, brace yourself for full disclosure: Although there hasn’t been a Batman Broadway musical yet, at least one has been proposed, and the day is young yet. ...Something I’m forgetting... Oh yeah. Comicbooks. Batman’s corporate parent, DC Comics, has just published the one thousandth issue of Detective Comics. Let me lay that out in numbers: 1,000 consecutive comics! Has any other periodical, apart from news venues, achieved that record? And, beginning with issue #27, every one of them has featured a “Batman” story. Not exactly the same Batman: our hero, like the great literary characters—Hamlet comes to mind, as does Sherlock Holmes—is subject to interpretation; different creators see him different ways, Which brings us to the true subject of these observations: Irv Novick, comicbook artist, and if you want to emphasize the “artist” part of that sobriquet, okay. Here’s something you may not understand: comicbook art is more than a collection of pictures sharing the same space. (Are you sensing a secret in the air?) It is integral to the story being told. The comics characters’ body language, expression, placement within the panel, distance from the imaginary “camera”—the reader’s eyes—all this and more is part of the information that shapes the story. Part of the narrative.

Together Again! Although Denny O’Neil passed some months after writing the accompanying foreword, it’s more than fitting to feature his image along with those of two of his collaborators on this splash page from Batman #240 (March 1972). (Left to right in photos:) editor Julius Schwartz and penciler Irv Novick at a turn-of-the-century comics convention, and Denny O’Neil, circa 1971. They were aided and abetted by inker Dick Giordano. Thanks to Jim Ludwig & Jim Keally. Unless otherwise noted, all images accompanying this abridged book are courtesy of authors John Coates & Dewey Cassell. [Page TM & © DC Comics.]

The earliest iteration of “The Bat-Man,” as he was sometimes known, was a tad effete, a bit soft around the edges, like Ellery Queen and such other fictional detectives as Hercule Poirot and Philo Vance. He evolved swiftly during the World War II years and although, back then, he wasn’t completely consistent from story to story, he was most often like the version Irv Novick and his collaborators presented to readers. In a word: hero. Tough, but never cruel or vicious, Smart, but never arrogant; responsible but not smug... a virtual tourist attraction. (”Mommy, can we go to Gotham City and see Batman and Robin?”) He was cheerful, but not a wiseacre, a good citizen who never cheated on his taxes. And not only was he all those commendable things—thanks to Mr. Novick, he looked like them. Excellent match of talents. Recently, a Hollywood guy who has directed a super-hero flick or two told the world—smugly?—that Superman and Batman kill. He then advised us to “live with it.” So: secret. No, they don’t. At least my Superman and Batman don’t. And I’ll bet that Irv Novick’s don’t, either. —Denny O’Neil, 2019

A Star-Studded Salute To A Golden/Silver/Bronze Age Great

Chapter One

Formative Years There is no better place to start, especially for readers who may not be familiar with Irv Novick, than at the beginning. In his in-depth 1998 interview with Novick, which weaves its way throughout this issue, John Coates talks to the artist about his career in comics and elsewhere, including where he came from and how he got his start. (This interview was previously published in The Comic Book Marketplace #77, April 2000.) JOHN COATES: Mr. Novick… I’d like to thank you for agreeing to this interview IRV NOVICK: Mr. “Who,” John? Hey, rule #1 is that you can’t call me “Mr. Novick.” My name is Irv. Got it? [laughter]

Irv Novick

JC: Forgive me. The curse of being brought up in the South. [laughter]. Now, let’s begin with your family background. NOVICK: Well, I was born in New York City on April 11, 1916. My father was in the fur business and fairly wealthy. He had about 100 people working for him. He was a good businessman and a good father. He even made money during the Depression, which was quite a feat. My mother was a very thoughtful, loving person. She always encouraged us to read when we were young, and both were very supportive of us getting an education. She used to read to us, and we had learned to read even before we were taught to do so in school. As far as my first interest in drawing, my mother used to say that I scratched her womb with a pencil! [laughter] My art inspirations were many: Alex Raymond, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Winslow Homer, the classics, some contemporary artists, everyday life, etc.... Listen, if you’re an artist, you’re going to be influenced by a good many people and things. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar, or a fool!

Not Exactly Medical School! Life, as John Lennon famously said, is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. So Irv wound up first attending the National Academy of Design in New York City, instead of studying to become a doctor.

JC: Did your family support your decision to be an artist? NOVICK: Oh yes. However, I do remember

“The Shield Of The Mighty” Irv Novick as a young man at his omnipresent drawing board… and his cover for MLJ’s Pep Comics #9 (Nov. 1940), nearly a year into “The Shield” but still some months before the debut of Simon & Kirby’s (and Timely’s) Captain America Comics #1. Thanks to the Grand Comics Database for the cover scan. [TM & © Archie Comic Publications, Inc.]

that my mother’s brother used to drag me down to the hospital to watch surgery. He thought I was going to go to medical school, but I took the exam for the National Academy of Design in New York City instead. Boy, was he surprised! [laughter] The Academy was like a four-year college, but they didn’t give out degrees. No art schools gave degrees in those days. However, after four years, many graduates taught at universities without a master’s degree or having taken education classes. To get in, you had to first pass an art examination. If you passed, they would then make you come back and ask you to draw from casts/statues for about two weeks. If they still liked your work, then they offered you a scholarship. Around 1933 I received a four-year scholarship and an additional year for my master class. We were affiliated with Columbia University so we could take advantage of many of their resources. JC: What was your first professional assignment? NOVICK: While at the Academy, I saw an ad on the school bulletin board for someone to do “showcards” for an importing company which had consignment space in most of the large department stores throughout the country. The showcard was part of a department store floor display that showed a woman, usually a beautiful woman, well, always a beautiful woman, using whatever kitchen gadget the display was presenting. For example, a beautiful woman would be shown in a kitchen using a potato peeler, and an

Irv Novick: A Heroes’ Artist

actual potato peeler would be attached to the showcard. The only problem was that this ad requested the artist be a girl. Well, I called anyway, and this guy who was obviously a Frenchman answered and protested, [affecting a heavy mock-French accent] “But you are not a girl!” [laughter] I said that’s OK, let me bring my work in to show you. He liked it and hired me immediately. I was very excited! This was in my second year at the Academy and I was only 17 years old. At that time, I was making close to $65 a week, which in the Depression was a lot of money. I saw them in Lord and Taylor’s, Macy’s, etc... After a while, the company began asking me to also design the actual floor displays. They paid me very well for that. I worked on that for about four years, or until I graduated from the Art Academy.

Chapter Two

1930s & 1940s – Breaking Into Comics The ’30s and ’40s were a time of great change in the United States. The country was recovering from the Great Depression, while watching a new threat arise in Germany and Japan. This period served as the backdrop for the advent of the comicbook industry. What started out as reprints of newspaper comics strips became a whole new medium with original stories of action, adventure, war, and romance, not to mention a new thing called super-heroes. During this time period, the demand for comicbook stories was tremendous. Shops run by Harry “A” Chesler and by Will Eisner & Jerry Iger, among others, employed artists and writers who sat in classroom-like studios cranking out content for comicbook publishers. It was a time of great creativity, leading to enduring characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, as well as less long-lived ones such as Doll Man and Captain Triumph. It was also a time of replication. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then adulation was the order of the day. If a comicbook character became successful, the competition wasted no time in creating their own version, with a slightly different name and costume. Knowing this, one might assume that a certain patriotic hero created by Irv Novick was simply a knock-off of a better-known character from another publisher… but you would be mistaken. Read on to learn how Novick made his first mark in the comicbook business at a publisher called MLJ: JC: How did you become interested in comicbooks?

Harry “A” Chesler Novick’s first comicbook employer, in a photo from late in his life. Reportedly, Chesler’s name contained no actual middle initial, so he just stuck an “A” in there.

NOVICK: I graduated from the Academy in 1938 and had seen an ad in The New York Times for artists to draw comicbooks. Being that the industry was still in its infancy, I had never heard of a comicbook, never seen one, didn’t know what it was other than it meant work. I showed them my showcard art and they hired me

right away. This was with Harry Chesler’s outfit. At first I worked in his shop, but eventually moved to working freelance from my home. Working in the office was pleasant but I preferred working at my own pace, on my own time. I’ve always been a night person. I like to work at night when everyone else has gone to bed. I never went to bed before two o’clock. JC: How long did you work for Chesler? NOVICK: A few years, I believe. At the time, MLJ was buying most of the work being produced from Chesler’s studio. MLJ was a publishing house founded by Morris Coyne, Louis Silberkleit, and John Goldwater. Anyway, after a while, Louis came to me and asked if I could work directly for them. They wanted me to work on a character called “The Shield”. They were paying more money than Chesler, so I did. I think this was around 1940. JC: Did MLJ have a readymade version of The Shield when you arrived? NOVICK: Well, they had an idea for a hero that was based on the patriot theme. From their initial idea, I designed the costume and created his character of being a G-man. Once I had defined and created the character, Harry Shorten was brought in to write and edit the stories. I believe “The Shield” was the first patriotic hero. He appeared in Pep Comics. JC: Yes, he was the first. Were you excited or surprised when it became a hit? NOVICK: I tell you, John, to me it was just a character and a job and that was it. I tried to do it to the best of my abilities. That’s it! JC: What was the creative process at MLJ? NOVICK: Well, MLJ provided me with a script and I penciled and inked it. If I wanted to change things in the story, they were always open to it. JC: While at MLJ, there were other artists of note. Let me toss out a few names. Charles Biro? NOVICK: Yes, Charlie Biro was a pretty big guy, overweight, a real heavy-set type. At the time, the MLJ office was located on the 8th floor of the New York Telegraph building on Hudson Street. I remember Charlie would always challenge me to all kinds of things when I came into the office. I never knew why. [laughter] For instance, he would bet me that if I took the elevator up and he raced the stairs, he could beat me. Well, I thought it was worth it to see him drop dead when we reached the top, so I accepted! He almost did drop dead. [laughter] But you know, he did beat me! JC: Mort Meskin? NOVICK: Mort was a very fine person. An excellent artist, too. During my time at MLJ, Mort and I were very close. We had planned to get a studio together down in the village but we never found the right place. We kept in touch for quite a while, but then he up and disappeared on me. It was quite some time before I saw him again. I believe it was the 1960s when we met again while at an advertising agency. You just lose track. Unfortunately, he died in 1995. JC: Bob Wood? NOVICK: Yes, Bob was an OK guy, but I think he was sent away to prison for a while for shooting someone. I can’t remember for what exactly, but I do know he was sent to prison for a while. [A/E EDITOR’S NOTE: Bob Wood was convicted of manslaughter for beating a prostitute to death.] JC: How about Jack Binder?

A Star-Studded Salute To A Golden/Silver/Bronze Age Great

INKERS THREE: In 1998, Irv Novick discussed a trio of his favorite inkers for his own work:

Dick Giordano at the 1968 SCARP-Con in New York City—plus his and Novick’s splash from Batman #216 (Nov. 1969); script by Frank Robbins. Photo courtesy of James Rosen; art scan courtesy of Jim Ludwig.

Joe Giella Alas, we didn’t have any photos at hand of Joe G. in his earlier days, but here he seems to contemplate his inking of Novick in Flash Spectacular 1978 (a.k.a. DC Special Series, Vol. 2, #11). Script by Cary Bates.

Frank McLaughlin and a Novick-penciled splash page from Batman #317 (Nov. 1979). Script by Len Wein. [All art & story on this page TM & © DC Comics.]

Irv Novick: A Heroes’ Artist

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Cat Got Your Tongue? For some obscure reason, the above-shown cover for Batman #210 (March 1969)—drawn by Irv Novick from a layout by art director Carmine Infantino—was sidelined in favor of the published version at right by Neal Adams, from the same layout. Now, more than half a century later, you readers get to play publisher, compare the two, and decide which of the two versions you would’ve decided to use. (Hint: There’s probably no wrong answer.) [TM & © DC Comics.]

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!

My Life With Wood… (Part 1)

by Ralph Reese

first met Wally Wood in 1966 when I was a sixteen-year-old runaway, on the lam from a juvenile detention facility in New York. Two of my friends from the High School of Art and Design, which I had attended intermittently, were Larry Hama and J.D. Smith. We were all fledgling comicbook fans and had made a few trips together to King Features and places like that after school, where we would hang around and pester people and try to get an idea of how things were actually done. At that time, I had no great ambition to be a comic artist myself--I was actually more into mechanical drawing or maybe industrial design. Anyway, when I got in some trouble and found myself needing a place to stay, Larry and J.D. introduced me to Larry Ivie, who at that time was in his mid-twenties and a sort of semi-pro artist who put together a magazine/fanzine called Larry Ivie’s Monsters and Heroes, published by Kable Pubs. Larry had an apartment on the West Side of Manhattan and was well known in the fan community, which was at that time quite small, and would sometimes let other fans from out of town crash with him when they came to New York. To make a long story short, he agreed to let me stay there for a little while, as I looked for some sort of work.

Joe Cool! (Above:) A dapper Ralph Reese in 1966. (Below:) A nerdier version, from 1968, as seen in Comic Book Creator #17 [© Estate of Bhob Stewart.]

Ivie had quite an extensive comicbook collection, and introduced me to EC Comics, which I had never seen or heard of, as well as the whole world of comic fandom as it was then. I discovered all the classics: Raymond, Foster, Crandall, Frazetta, Williamson, and Wood. It was then that Larry Ivie it occurred to me that real people were actually making a living at this, and that it might be something I could do. It was the Wood and Williamson science-fiction stuff that really inspired me. I liked super-heroes okay and read my share of FF and Spider-Man, but never had a great desire to draw them. At this time Wood was still doing some inking for Marvel and had tried out Larry Ivie as an assistant. I’m not sure how they got to know each other, but at that time comics was a pretty small world and Larry had been a Big-Name-Fan ever since the EC days. For one reason and another, that assistantship didn’t work out, but I did manage to persuade Ivie to introduce me to Wood, who lived only a few blocks away and was at that time looking to expand his studio to take on more work.

Monsters And Heroes In The Ivie League Reese’s pal Larry Ivie painted the cover to the first issue of his magazine Larry Ivie’s Monsters and Heroes, in 1967. [TM & © Larry Ivie.]

“Don’t Call Me Wally!” I was completely forthright with WW about my situation and of my great admiration for his work, and he offered to try me out

Ralph Reese: “My Life With Wood…” (Part 1)

as an assistant in his studio. It was in the apartment that he shared with Tatjana, his first wife, a fifth-floor walkup on West 76th Street. The first thing that he told me was: “Don’t call me Wally”… he always hated the nickname and preferred for his friends to call him “Woody.” The only person I ever saw that he allowed to call him Wally was Al Williamson, who used to come up and visit occasionally when he was in New York. Williamson was probably the only other artist from the EC/Mad days that Wood remained very friendly with, although he maintained cordial relations with most of the other guys except for Kurtzman and Feldstein, whom he despised. [MTG NOTE: I was surprised when Ralph wrote that Wood “hated” Kurtzman. When I asked him about that, he gave this response: “Maybe that’s too strong a word. But for whatever reason, WW grew to hate working for Mad and anything associated with it. I think he felt trapped there or something, I dunno….”] The pay was fifty bucks a week and the duties were mostly pretty menial at first. What possessed him to take a troubled young man under his wing at that time I can’t be sure, but perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was becoming middle-aged and was childless. Maybe he sensed another rebellious spirit… He certainly took more of an interest in me than a mere employer. I will say that, although I was a very angry and rebellious young man, my very great admiration and respect for Wood made him probably one of the few people on Earth that I could take direction from.

Sentenced To Life! As years went by, he went on to mentor a lot of other up-andcoming young artists. I think that he enjoyed teaching and had developed a very systematic approach to his work. And he enjoyed having someone to talk to, especially a young person who would hang on his every word. Being a professional illustrator can be a fairly lonely pursuit. As a matter of fact, he once compared it to sentencing yourself to “life at hard labor in solitary confinement.”

A lot of us go and rent studio space with other artists just to have some company. It probably helped that we liked the same kind of music. At that time the folk music revival was going strong and WW always had the record player going while we worked. We wore the grooves off the old Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie discs, and there was always country/folkie music playing. If he had been into bebop jazz or doo wop, I don’t know if we would have got on so well. Also, we both had very kind of leftist/socialist political leanings, opposed the Vietnam War, etc. And we were both science-fiction fans and had read a lot of the same classics of the genre. Although it was his SF work for EC that had most impressed me, by that time Wood tended to pooh-pooh that work as overly “busy.” By then, he was already tired of hearing that “his old stuff was better.” When I started working for him, Wood was just finishing up his run with Marvel and just beginning to start working on T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. At first, I had very few real skills… I ran his errands, cleaned and strained his ink bottles, and mostly did a lot of Artographing. WW had a very extensive system of files, pictures cut from magazines of almost every conceivable subject, which filled up a whole small room. Also, he had a vast collection of other artists’ published work, Raymond, Foster, Crandall, etc. etc. He would do a basic layout for a page and then leave it up to me to find “swipe” for whatever was possible. I would dig up as much stuff as I could that seemed to fit and show it to him for his approval, then trace it into place and size using the overhead projector (the Artograph). One thing that always amazed me was his ability to redraw these disparate elements in the process of inking so that the finished product always came out looking like Wood.

“Don’t Call Me Wally!” Wallace Wood around 1965. As far as Wood hating being called “Wally,” David Spurlock says: “Since WWII, Wood had preferred to be verbally ‘Woody’ and listed in print as ‘Wallace.’ But Wood also understood the uniqueness of ‘Wally Wood’ and even one of his idols, Pogo creator Walt Kelly, had noted his name in print. So, when Wood chose, he used ‘Wally’ for various reasons, often marketing-related. In fact, one of Wood’s famous slogans was ‘There is only one Wally Wood and I am him!’” [Photo © the respective copyright holders.]

Learning The Basics… Bit by bit, I learned the basics of producing comic art… how to rule ink lines without making blobs… how to control a brush line… how to put together a job from reference material. How to compose a panel or a page, how to letter, the basic elements of anatomy and perspective. Up until this point, I had a fairly good “eye” and could copy what I saw, but I had no real understanding of the underlying principles of composition or figure drawing.

TwoMorrows 2023 www.twomorrows.com • store@twomorrows.com

THE BEST OF SIMON & KIRBY’S

MAINLINE COMICS

by JOE SIMON & JACK KIRBY Introduction by JOHN MORROW

In 1954, industry legends JOE SIMON and JACK KIRBY founded MAINLINE PUBLICATIONS to publish their own comics during that turbulent era in comics history. The four titles—BULLSEYE, FOXHOLE, POLICE TRAP, and IN LOVE—looked to build off their reputation as hit makers in the Western, War, Crime, and Romance genres, but the 1950s backlash against comics killed any chance at success, and Mainline closed its doors just two years later. For the first time, TwoMorrows Publishing is compiling the best of Simon & Kirby’s Mainline comics work, including all of the stories with S&K art, as well as key tales with contributions by MORT MESKIN and others. After the company’s dissolution, their partnership ended with Simon leaving comics for advertising, and Kirby taking unused Mainline concepts to both DC and Marvel. This collection bridges the gap between Simon & Kirby’s peak with their 1950s romance comics, and the lows that led to Kirby’s resurgence with CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN and the early MARVEL UNIVERSE. With loving art restoration by CHRIS FAMA, and an historical overview by JOHN MORROW to put it all into perspective, the BEST OF SIMON & KIRBY’S MAINLINE COMICS presents some of the final, and finest, work Joe and Jack ever produced. NOW SHIPPING! (256-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $49.95 • (Digital Edition) $15.99 • ISBN: 978-1-60549-118-9

DESTROYER DUCK GRAPHITE EDITION

by JACK KIRBY & STEVE GERBER Introduction by MARK EVANIER

In the 1980s, writer STEVE GERBER was embroiled in a lawsuit against MARVEL COMICS over ownership of his creation HOWARD THE DUCK. To raise funds for legal fees, Gerber asked JACK KIRBY to contribute to a benefit comic titled DESTROYER DUCK. Without hesitation, Kirby (who was in his own dispute with Marvel at the time) donated his services for the first issue, and the duo took aim at their former employer in an outrageous five-issue run. With biting satire and guns blazing, Duke “Destroyer” Duck battled the thinly veiled Godcorp (whose infamous credo was “Grab it all! Own it all! Drain it all!”), its evil leader Ned Packer and the (literally) spineless Booster Cogburn, Medea (a parody of Daredevil’s Elektra), and more! Now, all five Gerber/Kirby issues are collected—but relettered and reproduced from JACK’S UNBRIDLED, UNINKED PENCIL ART! Also included are select examples of ALFREDO ALCALA’s unique inking style over Kirby on the original issues, Gerber’s script pages, an historical Introduction by MARK EVANIER (co-editor of the original 1980s issues), and an Afterword by BUZZ DIXON (who continued the series after Gerber)! Discover all the hidden jabs you missed when DESTROYER DUCK was first published, and experience page after page of Kirby’s raw pencil art! NOW SHIPPING! (128-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $31.95 • (Digital Edition) $13.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-117-2

ALTER EGO COLLECTORS’ ITEM CLASSICS

By overwhelming demand, editor ROY THOMAS has compiled all the material on the founders of the Marvel Bullpen from three SOLD-OUT ALTER EGO ISSUES—plus OVER 30 NEW PAGES OF CONTENT! There’s the STEVE DITKO ISSUE (#160 with a rare ’60s Ditko interview by RICHARD HOWELL, biographical notes by NICK CAPUTO, and Ditko tributes)! The STAN LEE ISSUE (#161 with ROY THOMAS on his 50+ year relationship with Stan, art by KIRBY, DITKO, MANEELY, EVERETT, SEVERIN, ROMITA, plus tributes from pros and fans)! And the JACK KIRBY ISSUE (#170 with WILL MURRAY on Kirby’s contributions to Iron Man’s creation, Jack’s Captain Marvel/Mr. Scarlet Fawcett work, Kirby in 1960s fanzines, plus STAN LEE and ROY THOMAS on Jack)! Whether you missed these issues, or can’t live without the extensive NEW MATERIAL on DITKO, LEE, and KIRBY, it’s sure to be an AMAZING, ASTONISHING, FANTASTIC tribute to the main men who made Marvel! NOW SHIPPING! (256-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $35.95 • (Digital Edition) $15.99 • ISBN: 978-1-60549-116-5

CLIFFHANGER!

CINEMATIC SUPERHEROES OF THE SERIALS: 1941–1952 by CHRISTOPHER IRVING

Hold on tight as historian CHRISTOPHER IRVING explores the origins of the first on-screen superheroes and the comic creators and film-makers who brought them to life. CLIFFHANGER! touches on the early days of the film serial, to its explosion as a juvenile medium of the 1930s and ‘40s. See how the creation of characters like SUPERMAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, SPY SMASHER, and CAPTAIN MARVEL dovetailed with the early film adaptations. Along the way, you’ll meet the stuntmen, directors (SPENCER BENNETT, WILLIAM WITNEY, producer SAM KATZMAN), comic book creators (SIEGEL & SHUSTER, SIMON & KIRBY, BOB KANE, C.C. BECK, FRANK FRAZETTA, WILL EISNER), and actors (BUSTER CRABBE, GEORGE REEVES, LORNA GRAY, KANE RICHMOND, KIRK ALYN, DAVE O’BRIEN) who brought them to the silver screen—and how that resonates with today’s cinematic superhero universe. NOW SHIPPING! (160-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 • (Digital Edition) $15.99 • ISBN: 978-1-60549-119-6

The Fabulous Fawcett Family – Part II

The Whiz Bang Life Of CAPTAIN BILLY by Shaun Clancy

Edited by P.C. Hamerlinck On the following pages, Shaun Clancy dives into the details of Fawcett family history and Wilford’s remarkable life. At the age of 16, young Billy ran away from his Grand Forks, North Dakota, home and joined the US Army in time to see action in the Philippines Insurrection of 1899. He later joined the Minnesota National Guard, after being hired as a newspaper reporter at the Minneapolis Journal. When World War I came along, Fawcett again served his country overseas, being promoted from an enlisted man to the rank of Captain.

FCA EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION: Without the Captain, there wouldn’t have been the Captain! Wilford (Billy) Hamilton Fawcett of Robbinsdale, Minnesota, had launched an enterprise in 1919 that became a national sensation: Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang was a monthly magazine of suggestive jokes, anecdotes, and scantily clad (for the times) ladies—all for only 25 cents at newsstands. Fawcett Publishing [a.k.a. Fawcett Publications] was born! By 1922, 400,000 copies a month of Fawcett magazines were being circulated worldwide. As the company continued to grow, they eventually relocated to the East Coast, where a new Captain would be created just a few years later.

Captain Billy returned to civilian life, opening a Minneapolis nightclub before the arrival of Prohibition in 1919 put him out of business. (Prohibition would go into full force in January 1920, but apparently the Captain could read the handwriting on the

Captain Billy & A Pair Of Whiz Bangs! Captain Billy Fawcett on the Empress of Australia ocean liner, as he takes a trip around the world during the 1930s— flanked by two of his greatest early successes, only one of which he stuck around long enough to fully appreciate: an early issue of the joke magazine Capt. Billy’s Whiz Bang, dated Aug. 1920… and C.C. Beck’s cover for the Fawcett company’s Whiz Comics #2 (Feb. 1940), the first issue having been a mere ashcan edition. [TM & © the respective copyright holders; Shazam hero TM & © DC Comics.]

Alter Ego #183