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No. 36 May 2004

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Special Simon-ized Section!

JACK KIRBY CARL BURGOS BILL EVERETT BOB POWELL ANGELO TORRES AL WILLIAMSON JIM SIMON JIM AMASH

Interviews 1940SS ARTIST

ELMER WEXLER GEORGE WOODBRIDGE DON LAWRENCE BOB DESCHAMPS FAWCETT FRENZY WITH

TERRY AUSTIN MARC SWAYZE JOHN G. PIERCE P.C. HAMERLINCK C.C. BECK Plus:

ALEX TOTH MART BAILEY DAN DeCARLO JOHN WRIGHT BILL SCHELLY PETE VON SHOLLY & More!!

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

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

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

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THE BEST IN COMICS AND LEGO MAGAZINES!

ALTER EGO #105

ALTER EGO #106

ALTER EGO #107

ALTER EGO #108

DRAW! #22

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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KIRBY COLLECTOR #59

BRICKJOURNAL #17

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

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

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

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

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Vol. 3, No. 36 / May 2004

™

Editor

Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout

Christopher Day

JOE SIMON & FRIENDS Section

Consulting Editor John Morrow

FCA Editor

P.C. Hamerlinck

Comic Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert

Editors Emeritus

Contents

Production Assistant

Writer/Editorial: Simon Says . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 The Creator of Captain America Meets the Creator of The Human Torch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1939: Joe Simon’s first encounter with Carl Burgos—and a couple of others.

Jerry Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White, Mike Friedrich Eric Nolen-Weathington

Cover Artists Joe Simon Michael T. Gilbert & Ronn Sutton

Cover Colorists Joe Simon Michael T. Gilbert

And Special Thanks to: Ger Apeldoorn Mike Aragona Terry Austin Bob Bailey John Balge John Bell Bill Black Mike Burkey Russ Cochran Chet Cox Janet Gilbert Darryl Gold Scott Goodell George Hagenauer Jennifer Hamerlinck Ron Harris Richard Howell Greg Huneryager Stephen Lipson Robert Macmillan Nadia Mannarino Joe Monks Will Murray Rik Offenberger John G. Pierce

Robert Pincombe Larry Ripee Ethan Roberts Mark Shainblum Dave Sim Jim Simon Joe Simon Jamie Smith Keith Sparrow Super-Hero News Ronn Sutton Greg Theakston Dann Thomas Alex Toth Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. Dr. Michael J. Vassallo Rob von Bavel Pete Von Sholly Meerten Welleman Marv Wolfman Alan R. Woollcombe Chad Wrataric John Wright

This issue is dedicated to the memory of

Bob Deschamps, Don Lawrence, & George Woodbridge

The American Dream Come True . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 One comic book legend—Joe Simon—talks about another—Captain America. IJimRemember Weird Mysteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Simon this time—and the secrets behind that 1959 black-&-white horror comic. “IElmerThink I Was Basically Lucky!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Wexler talks to Jim Amash about his brief sojourn in the Golden Age of Comics. Tributes to Bob Deschamps, Don Lawrence, George Woodbridge . . 23

Fandom across the Puddle–––Part Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Bill Schelly interviews John Wright about South African comics fandom. re: [comments from Alex Toth, Terry Austin, and others] . . . . . . 31 FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) #95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 P.C. Hamerlinck spotlights Marc Swayze, John G. Pierce, and C.C. Beck. Canada’s Golden Age Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flip Us! About Our Cover: To head A/E #13’s transcribed 1974 comicon panel featuring Joe Simon and Ye Editor, among others, Joe generously allowed us to use as a cover a Captain America drawing he’d done. He sent other art for the issue, as well, including a fabulous acrylic painting of one of the greatest 1950s heroes, Simon & Kirby’s Fighting American! We asked if we could save it for a future cover, and Joe graciously agreed. The time has come. Enjoy! [Art ©2004 Joe Simon; Fighting American TM & ©2004 Joe Simon & the Estate of Jack Kirby.] Above: Captain America—Sandman—Manhunter—The Guardian—Stuntman—Captain 3-D —Fighting American—The Fly—even another Sandman! As half of the Simon & Kirby team, Joe’s taken part in the creation of numerous memorable super-heroes. One sleeper that Roy fondly remembers is the 1940s tale in which the prizefighter Kid Adonis slugged it out with a suspiciously familiar guy called Superior Male in—was it in Stuntman or Green Hornet? No matter—it was a great story, and, as we learn in Joe and son Jim’s book The Comic Book Makers, it was a Simon solo performance. Bravo! [©2004 Joe Simon.] Alter EgoTM is published monthly 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. Single issues: $8 ($10 Canada, $11.00 elsewhere). Twelve-issue subscriptions: $60 US, $120 Canada, $132 elsewhere. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © Roy Thomas. Alter Ego is a TM of Roy & Dann Thomas. FCA is a TM of P.C. Hamerlinck. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING.

writer/editorial

Simon Says...

Back in the mid- to late 1940s when I was still in my first decade, there were two credits I looked for on a comic book story: “Joe Kubert” and “Simon & Kirby.” While Kubert’s signature would appear on one or two stories a month, it often seemed as if the “Simon & Kirby” byline—sometimes with the names “Joe” and “Jack” added—was all over the place! Even on unsigned stories, their signature style was unmistakable—despite the fact that, as we’d learn later, S&K were a virtual industry, with inkers and letterers and sometimes even other writers and pencilers spelling them, working under their direction to achieve that Simon & Kirby magic. Nowadays, because he was indeed such a seminal talent, Jack Kirby often gets the lion’s share of the credit for everything that was good about S&K. Me, I’ve never felt that way. Joe and Jack were an entity in the ’40s and ’50s, and attempts to dissect precisely who did what and when and where and how and why are foredoomed to failure. Probably rightly so. Witness, for instance, the “Kid Adonis” splash that graces the preceding page. For nearly six decades I’ve remembered that mini-epic, in which an alien named Superior Male goes several rounds with the series’ boxer hero. For years I thought of it as a Simon & Kirby production, because it has all the flamboyant touches in story and art I expect from that fabulous team. It was only when I read Joe and son Jim’s book The Comic Book Makers that I learned that particular tale

was a Simon solo effort. No matter. For me, it ranks up there with S&K’s “Captain America,” “Newsboy Legion,” “Fighting American,” et al. Thus, this issue, we celebrate Joe Simon as the co-creator of the above features and many more (including the whole romancecomics genre, of course)—even, as Jim Simon relates in his article, in a format Joe’s not generally associated with. And when we back all that up with Jim Amash’s interview with Golden Age artist Elmer Wexler, Bill Schelly’s Comic Fandom Archive, and P.C. Hamerlinck’s alwaysengaging FCA—well, isn’t that worth turning a magazine upside-down for? Bestest,

P.S.: And, just in case you missed our display ad last issue, don’t forget that the corrected second printing of our long-sold-out All-Star Companion goes on sale in June! See TwoMorrows’ ad bloc at the end of this section.

COMING IN JUNE NOW MONTHLY!

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SLAM BANG

4 TH OF JULY SPECIAL! SUPERMAN, CAPTAIN MARVEL, UNCLE SAM—& SY BARRY!

k; ics. .C. Bec te of C 2004 DC Com 04 Esta Art ©20 arvel TM & © M Captain

• WILL MURRAY on the fabled 1940 Superman “K-Metal” story, and on PHILIP WYLIE’s GLADIATOR—the 1930 novel that foreshadowed the Man of Steel! Rare art by JOE SHUSTER, WAYNE BORING, CURT SWAN, NEAL ADAMS, GIL KANE, MICHAEL LARK, JOHN BUSCEMA, RON HARRIS, et al.! • Special double-size FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) section, featuring C.C. BECK, MARC SWAYZE, DON NEWTON, & The Shazam!-Isis Hour! • Golden Age great SY BARRY talks to JIM AMASH about DC Comics, his artist brother DAN BARRY, and lots more—with vintage art by ALEX TOTH, MORT MESKIN, CARMINE INFANTINO, MURPHY ANDERSON, & many others! • Plus—MICHAEL T. GILBERT interviews AL FELDSTEIN about EC & RAY BRADBURY— BILL SCHELLY on comics fandom—& MORE!! Edited by ROY THOMAS • 108 PAGES!

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The Creator of Captain America Meets The Creator of The Human Torch

When JOE SIMON Encountered CARL BURGOS in 1939—and Vice Versa by Joe Simon

“When Creators Clash!” Vintage photos of Joe Simon (left) and Carl Burgos (right)—along with early pages of their greatest creations. The photo of Joe, taken around the time of the 1939 first meeting chronicled herein, appears in his and son Jim’s important history The Comic Book Makers, recently reissued in a handsome hardcover edition by Vanguard Press (see ad on p. 16)—while the self-portrait (?) of Carl Burgos first appeared in Human Torch #2 (Fall 1940), actually the first issue. As for the art: This landmark Simon & Kirby splash from Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941) can be seen in color in the gorgeous Marvel hardcover Captain America: The Classic Years (Volume 1)—if you can still find it. The “Human Torch” art, however, is some of the rarest of the species! While the origin story from Marvel Comics #1 has been reprinted a time or two, Burgos’ splash page from Marvel Mystery Comics #2 (Dec. 1939) recaps that origin, complete with typed entries from the journal of his creator, Professor Horton. Thanks for this gem to collector Greg Huneryager. [Art ©2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

[A/E EDITOR’S INTRO: In 1990 Marvel decided to put together a hardcover volume that would be basically a reprint of the 1939 Marvel Comics #1, the first comic book ever published by Martin Goodman. Because from 1965 till his death in 1973 I had been a friend (and even sometime roommate) of “Sub-Mariner” creator Bill Everett, Marvel editor Bobbie Chase phoned to ask me to write a reminiscence about Wild Bill for inclusion in the book. I was particularly flattered to learn that the complementary coverage of “Human Torch” creator Carl Burgos would be written by Joe Simon, Timely Comics’ first editor—the man who, with Jack Kirby, gave the world Captain America Comics and so many other wonders.

[A few weeks later, however, editor Chase asked me to write the text about Burgos, as well. I replied that I’d never met him, only talked to him twice on the phone… and besides, wasn’t Joe Simon writing about him? She replied that Marvel wasn’t using the piece by Simon, though she gave no particulars. So I wound up scribing the Burgos article, too. However, I did talk Bobbie Chase into sending me the Simon piece—“for inspiration,” as I put it—and was fascinated by Joe’s time-capsule vignette of the day two major comics creators met. Ever since, I’ve wondered why the short article wasn’t used. I’ve always suspected it was because Joe refers to himself in its title as Cap’s “creator”—nor would it have helped if he had written

I Remember Weird Mysteries by Jim Simon [EDITOR’S NOTE: In Alter Ego #31-32, Michael T. Gilbert, in his “Comic Crypt” feature, examined the obscure 1959 black-&-white horror comics, Weird Mysteries and Eerie Tales. Michael and his correspondent Michael Feldman felt they were probably published or at least co-published by Robert Sproul, the man behind Cracked magazine, the longest-running Mad competitor. Soon after the second part of MTG’s series appeared, I received an e-mail from Jim Simon, son of comics legend Joe Simon and himself the co-author with Joe of the excellent history/memoir The Comic Book Makers, mentioned in conjunction with the two preceding articles. Jim had some additional (and conflicting) information, so Michael and I invited him to “put it in writing” for this issue of A/E. And it turns out that, apparently, it wasn’t Robert Sproul at all! —Roy.]

Jim Simon (in a photo from his and Joe’s The Comic Book Makers) and George Tuska’s cover painting for Weird Mysteries #1-and-only, as it appeared in Alter Ego #31. [Art ©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

I remember Weird Mysteries. Pastime Publications published Weird Mysteries. The mystery men behind Pastime Publications were Joe Simon, who started up the imprint with his friend and newspaper colleague, Martin (Marty) A. Bursten. In addition to Weird Mysteries, they published other magazines together, such as Campus Howl, a black-&-white humor magazine. Pastime Publications was based in the New York area, though the indicium indicates it was published out of Holyoke, Massachusetts, which was the address of their printer, Holyoke Printing. I hung around the office on a couple of occasions (though most of the work was done off-site), and I assure you it wasn’t in Holyoke. Often publishers listed the printer’s address for second-class mailing privileges. Joe and Marty had known each other before Joe’s involvement in comic books, having met in Syracuse, New York, when Joe was cartooning for the Syracuse Journal-American and Marty was a rookie reporter/photographer working the police beat. After each found his way to New York City, they hooked up again and Marty worked on scripts for several of Joe’s projects, including Captain America. Marty later owned an advertising company. Joe handled the art department. Republican Party politicians such as Nelson Rockefeller, Kenneth B.

Keating, and Jacob K. Javits, even Richard Nixon, constituted some of his clients. For those readers interested in the rest of the back-story, you can look it up in the The Comic Book Makers. It is not a major part of the book, but it is important to the little revelations that become known herein. Weird Mysteries came out in 1959—the same year Joe was creating Sick magazine and a couple of new super-hero comics: Adventures of The Fly and The Double Life of Private Strong. Sick magazine was similar to Weird Mysteries in that both were black-&-white publications, magazine rather than comic book size. Joe’s usual suspects—George Tuska, Gray Morrow, Carl Burgos, Bob Powell, Angelo Torres, Al Williamson, among others—contributed to Sick, Adventures of The Fly, and/or The Double Life of Private Strong. The artists provided their talents on Weird Mysteries, as well. And what of Eerie Tales? According to Joe, Eerie Tales most likely evolved out of the second issue of Weird Mysteries. Intended as a follow-up to the first issue of Weird Mysteries, it was about to go to press when, at the last minute, Joe and Marty changed plans and agreed to sell the unpublished pages to

I Remember Weird Mysteries

an unknown company represented by Arthur Weiss, a comic book engraving salesman. Weiss was working for Koppel Photoengraving of Connecticut at the time, but it is not known if Koppel had been involved with Eerie Tales. “We dumped the weird genre because we were publishing political publications, and the political guys felt our being involved with comic book horror stuff might turn out to be an embarrassment,” explained Joe as to why Pastime got out of the horror field. On a personal note: while I was at a loss about Eerie Tales, I was blown away by Weird Mysteries and its horrific wackiness. And it was graced with a wonderfully painted cover which reminded me of a scene from the movie The Phantom of the Opera that had scared the heck out of me when I first viewed it. The woman doing the revealing wasn’t too shabby, either. I tacked a couple of the Weird Mysteries art boards on the wall above my bed. They remained there only a couple of weeks before the paste-on type dried and started dropping, piece by piece, the effect a little too much like the atrophied limbs of a rotting corpse or two in one of the stories. (In those days, type was composed via hot metal typesetting machines, after which proofs were made and then pasted on the art boards.) I had the gift of over-imagination. If those boards had been hand-lettered as in traditional comic books, I probably would have slept a whole lot better those nights. That is, unless the hand-lettering began to fall!

As Jim relates, at about the time in 1959 that Simon & Kirby were preparing The Adventures of The Fly and The Double Life of Private Strong for the Archie people, Joe Simon was also getting Sick—Sick magazine, that is, which Joe and Jim say was for some time Mad’s best-selling competitor, ahead of Cracked. One of the oddest things Joe ever did was to utilize the key Simon & Kirby transformation panel from 1954’s Fighting American #1 into the cover of Sick #42 (Feb. 1966)! Jim says: “I was working with Joe in his studio at home when he was doing Sick. Kicking around ideas for a cover, I thought it would be funny to put the brain of Sick’s mascot Huckleberry Fink in the body of a superhero. Joe had another take on the concept—to put the super-hero’s brain in Fink’s body!—and immediately knew what great artwork would make it special.” Thanks to Joe and Jim for the scan. [Sick, Fly, & Lancelot Strong art ©2004 Joe Simon; Fighting American TM & ©2004 Joe Simon & the Estate of Jack Kirby; The Shield TM & ©2004 Archie Comic Publications.]

A few interesting side items: On the Weird Mysteries cover as it is reproduced in Alter Ego #32 (Jan. 2004), the name of the distributor appears on the left top area— “DC”—but it was not DC Comics, as some collectors might assume. It reads “DC” because its initial letter, “P,” got cut off on the reproduction. The actual cover reads “PDC,” the magazine’s distributor (Publishers Distributing Corp.). And I can vouch for the fact that my uncle, Jack Oleck, wrote some of the stories. I remember Oleck sitting around Joe’s home with the typed script. Oh, and Stanley Morse’s accounting and tax preparation clients included Archie and Crestwood, but not Harvey, as stated in the Comic Crypt pieces.

“I Think I Was Basically Lucky!” ELMER WEXLER Talks about His Time in Comic Books Interview Conducted & Transcribed by Jim Amash Elmer “Red” Wexler, circa 1960s— and two samples of his comic art work. Wexler is credited with drawing this cover for Exciting Comics #9 (May 1941), which featured the debut of The Black Terror—while the panel from the Vic Jordan newspaper strip was also printed in 1941. [Black Terror & Vic Jordan ©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

[INTERVIEWER’S INTRO: Elmer “Red” Wexler had an artistic talent that was the envy of his peers. Though he made his mark in comic strips and the advertising world, Wexler spent some time in the comic book field, as well. His brief stay therein was fruitful, so I couldn’t miss the opportunity to talk with him about it. The fact that his comic book work is fondly remembered by so many who have seen it (more so than by Red himself) leaves me wondering what Wexler might have accomplished in comic books had he remained in it. In the meantime, here’s a glance at the man and his work. —Jim.] ELMER WEXLER: How are we going to do this interview?

I was very lucky in that I was knowledgeable about drawing, and I was offered a free night class. The art director was the head of Street & Smith magazines, which were popular at that time. They published The Shadow, Black Mask... you name it. The only students who were allowed to take this class were those the director thought would make it. I started illustrating for Street & Smith even before I graduated. Every year, the school had an art exhibit and my stuff won, so I got a scholarship. On top of that, I was earning money from Street & Smith. JA: Who did you go to school with that we would know today? Was Bob Powell there?

JIM AMASH: Well, you say the secret word and the duck will give you $50. [laughs] But we can start with where and when were you born.

WEXLER: Yeah. How’d you know about Bob Powell? He came out of Buffalo.

WEXLER: [laughs] Okay. I was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, August 14, 1918. I went to Pratt Institute and graduated in 1938. It was a three-year course. The first year was general courses: we studied illustration, advertising layout, copywriting, and architecture. We also got some engineering, although we were in the school of illustration. The second year, we had to make a decision about what we were going to specialize in. I was interested in illustration.

WEXLER: Chuck and I were in the same rooming house. He was across the hall from me. Chuck was a nice guy and we went out to eat a few times, along with my roommate. The guy who roomed with me was studying decorating and became one of the world’s greatest decorators. His name was originally Goldenberg, and he changed his name to Yale Borge [pronounced “Burg”]. He chose Yale because he came from New

JA: Chuck Cuidera told me that Powell went there when he did.

“I Think I Was Basically Lucky!”

Haven, and Borge because it was short for Goldenberg. We had a good group of artists there. JA: Was Bob Powell going under that name then, or was he using his real name? WEXLER: Bob Powell was not his real name. His name was Stanley Pulowski, but as soon as he got to Pratt, he changed his name. A lot of

immigrants’ children went to the school. My father came from Lithuania and my mother came from Poland. They got married when they met in the United States. That was another case of when immigrants merged. [laughs] JA: How did you manage to develop so quickly as an artist? WEXLER: I think I was basically lucky! I was a pretty damn good artist

Two 1940 MLJ pages with (signed) art by Wexler. “Hercules” appeared in Blue Ribbon Comics #4-8 (June 1940 to January 1941); “Zambini the Miracle Man” ran in Zip Comics #1-35 and lasted from February 1940 through March 1943. [©2004 Archie Comic Publications.]

Title Comic Fandom Archive

Fandom Across The Puddle A/E Interviews South African Comics Fan JOHN WRIGHT

Part II by Bill Schelly [NOTE: Last issue we met John Wright— “the only active comics fan in the 1960s who lived in South Africa.” John explained how he had become interested in the American comics that made their way to his homeland during and after World War II, plus a few South African reprints, then skipped briefly ahead to touch on the writing and selling of his first novel, Suddenly You’re Dead. At the end of Part One, we returned to the early 1960s, as John related that two of the first and most important connections he made in fandom were Jerry G. Bails (founder of Alter Ego in 1961 and of other fandom magazines and traditions) and Australian fellow fan John Ryan. At this point, we take up discussion of Wright’s fanzine, The Komix.]

BILL SCHELLY: How did your fanzine The Komix come about, and how did you sell it in America, from a practical standpoint? JOHN WRIGHT: Without a doubt, right after seeing that first issue of Alter-Ego and discovering by what means it had been printed. At the organization where I was employed, there was a Ditto duplicator to which I’d given scant attention. It was simply a machine used for printing inter-office memos. But now I took a closer look, learned how it worked, and in the stationery room found not only the box of masters and purple carbons, but also two sample sheets of red carbons, and one of green. A night or so later, I drew the cover of The Komix #1, purely as an experiment to see how it would print. The following Saturday morning, after the rest of the skeleton crew had gone home, I cranked out the first copy. Apparently I liked the result, because I must have run off about 150 or 200 copies. Now I had a cover that seemed to ask for a story. From then on it just grew, item by item, until finally a back page was printed. The Komix #2 boasted a cover by American fan (and one-time Alter Ego editor/publisher) Ronn Foss, based on a sketch by John. It also introduced John’s heroes Union Jack and The Black Panther. Despite there being an earlier British general-comics magazine titled Union Jack, A/E’s editor freely admits it was John’s use of that name for a character that led him, in 1976, to design a quite different Union Jack for his Invaders comic at Marvel. John’s Black Panther predates Marvel’s by a few years, too, though it’s not likely Jack Kirby or Stan Lee ever saw or heard of the South African’s creation. Hmmm… come to think of it, John may have put an “x” at the end of his “Komix” before anybody in the US underground coined the word “comix,” as well! [©2004 John Wright.]

Marc Swayze

the prices of paintings with subjects totally unrelated to comics. My “goal” came to mind... my aim to do a syndicated newspaper strip of my own idea, my own characters. What was it about that goal that appealed so much? Not fame and fortune, I realized while in an Army hospital. It was the lifestyle that went with it... the liberty to do the work I loved to do... wherever I wanted to do it. I’m not sure I had the “wherever” in mind, but it eventually became clear that it was back home... my hometown. That, I thought, could only be accomplished by way of a syndicated newspaper feature. But I was wrong. The deal with Fawcett assured a regular assignment, on a freelance basis, to be mailed in from “wherever.” The word “regular” made the difference. I wouldn’t have been satisfied without it! [Marc Swayze will be back next issue with more memories of the Golden Age.]

From 1944 to 1953, Marc’s work in his later years with Fawcett included mostly the romance titles, such as Sweethearts, Vol. 13, #76 (June 1949) (left). Below are some Swayze layout “prelims” from that period, if not from that particular story. [©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

The Serious Side of a Smiling Super-Hero

Levity, Learning, and Lightning Bolts Part III: The Serious Side of a Smiling Super-Hero by John G. Pierce Edited by P.C. Hamerlinck

Post-War Peak In the first part of this series of articles, I discussed the Golden Age “Captain Marvel” stories which presented moral values to the readers. The second chapter concerned itself with humorous adventures, as well as with stories which had humorous or whimsical touches within them. (By the way, I didn’t mean to imply that these categories were mutually exclusive. Most of the “Mr. Tawny” tales, for instance, would fit comfortably into both of these areas.) For this third installment, I take up Captain Marvel’s more serious, straightforward tales— “serious” always being a relative term when dealing with Captain Marvel, or for that matter any superhero—but especially Captain Marvel. As with the other categories, there is no way that this will be or can be an exhaustive treatment. Rather, these are selected adventures. I have chosen to concentrate on stories from the late 1940s, as I

C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza drew “The Men of Destiny” in Captain Marvel Adventures #86 (July 1948). The script for this and most stories covered in this article was most likely by Otto O. Binder. [©2004 DC Comics.]

feel the “Captain Marvel” tales reached their peak during that era. The post-war era of the World’s Mightiest Mortal’s adventures easily offered the greatest quality and variety of stories within the red-suited hero’s colorful career.

Weird Science Science-fiction has always been a staple of the superhero genre, and even though Captain Marvel’s origins were magical/mystical/mythical in nature, he was not exempted from having this type of story. In fact, given that his number-one writer was Otto Binder, who had already made his mark as a science-fiction and pulp scribe, it would be surprising if he had avoided such stories. I will list just a few examples.

In Captain Marvel Adventures #86 (July 1948), our hero meets “The Men of Destiny,” men who can disperse their atoms so as to pass through solid matter, as well as teleport. They lose their power, however, when cut off from the sight of the “morning star,” i.e., Venus, leading

Title writer/editorial

Canadian Sunset–In Four Colors Way back in 1964, after roaming around Mexico for a month, I eagerly accepted an offer from sf/comics fan Fred Patten to write an article on Mexican hero comics for Alter Ego [Vol. 1] #8–9. And ever since reviving A/E a few years ago, I’ve planned to deal with comic book super-heroes of other lands during the 1940s through at least the 1960s.

Darryl Gold, Keith Sparrow, Rik Offenberger, Stephen Lipson, and Jamie Smith, who e-mailed us various art scans…

#30’s survey by Jean-Marc Lofficer of the French comics scene of that era was always intended to be followed by coverage of Canadian, Mexican, Spanish, British, Australian, and other “Golden Ages.” With this issue, part of that promise has been kept, as we present five easy (and entertaining) pieces on the heroes of Canada’s own Golden era, which flowered briefly during World War II and immediately afterward.

…and Robert Pincombe, who’s preparing a documentary film about Bachle and sent both our page 52 teaser—and enough photocopies of Canadian comics pages to choke a moose!

Mark Shainblum, publisher of Canuck Comics and co-creator of Northguard, whose interview with artist Leo Bachle couldn’t be squeezed into this issue (but it’s definitely slated to appear ASAP!)…

John Bell, author of the 1986 book Canuck Comics, who wrote this issue’s overview of Canada’s Golden Age and sent numerous art scans to accompany it…

Although in the ’70s I attended a comicon or two in Toronto, and though I’ve read both Canuck Comics and Michael Hirsh & Patrick Loubert’s 1971 tome The Great Canadian Comic Books, much of what follows was as new to me as it will be, perhaps, to you. But we all need to expand our horizons beyond our own borders—even those of us (like my wife Dann and me) who watch several hours of Canadian TV a week, from The Red Green Show to This Hour Has 22 Minutes to Royal Canadian Air Farce to Rick Mercer’s Monday Report to The Newsroom.

Dave Sim, creator of Cerebus the Aardvark, who gave us permission to reprint two interviews with 1940s Canadian comics artists from his 1970s fanzine Now and Then Times…

Now to figure out which near-future issue will showcase Fred Patten’s “¡Supermen South!” with Relámpago, Santo, Neutrón, SuperCharro, and Criollo el Caballo Invencible. ¡Ay carmada, eh?

The real heroes, though, are the colorful Canadians (and a few others) who came through like champs:

Ronn Sutton and Michael T. Gilbert, who co-drew our cover featuring Michael’s permutation of the Canada-spawned Mr. Monster plus other super-doers from north of the border…

Bestest,

COMING SOON FROM ROY THOMAS!

WORLD WAR II!

YOU ONLY THINK YOU KNOW WHO WON! OUR SIDE LOST—BUT THAT WAS BEFORE TM

In Alter Ego V3#9 (2001) you read about this full-length, ongoing comic book created by Roy Thomas and published by Dude Comics of Spain. Now, at last, this darker saga of an alternate Earth is coming to U.S. comics for 2004! Learn the startling, world-shattering secret of— “ROCKETS” REDGLARE • BOMB-BURST STARS & STRIPES • DAWNS EARLYLIGHT LIBERTY • AGENT 76 • STONEWALL JAXON

Art by Daniel Acuna, Jorge Santamaria Garcia, & other stellar talents!

Canada’s Golden Age part one

The Golden Age of Canadian Comic Books and Its Aftermath

Super-Heroes & Others In English Canada, 1941–1966

by John Bell Prelude 1934–1940 Canadians have been involved with comic books almost from the very beginning.

During the early 1930s, as various entrepreneurs in the US experimented with the new periodicals, Windsor, Ontario, businessman Jake Geller decided to try his hand at the fledgling business. Inspired by the success of the British comics papers then available on some Canadian newsstands, Geller acquired the rights to several UK strips, opened an office in New York, and began publishing a comics weekly entitled Comic Cuts (named after one of Britain’s most famous comics periodicals). Launched in May 1934, the tabloid lasted only nine issues; today, it counts among the rarest comics publications ever issued in North America. Discouraged by Comic Cuts’ poor reception, Geller returned

John Bell’s 1986 book Canuck Comics, from Matrix Press, featured this great wraparound Ken Steacy cover illustration. From left to right, with their creators and/or copyright holders after their names, are: Stig (Ty Templeton)… Mister X (Vortex Comics)… Samurai (Barry Blair)… The Electric Warrior (Ken Steacy)…Onésime (Albert Chartier)… Le Sombre Vilain (Jacques Hurtubise)… Ududu (Bernard E. Mireault)… Capitaine Kébec (Pierre Fournier)… Nelvana of the Northern Lights (Adrian Dingle)… Red Ketchup (Réal Godbout & Pierre Fournier)… Kelvin Mace (Klaus Schoenfeld Estate)… Cerebus (Dave Sim)… Northguard (Mark Shainblum & Gabriel Morrissette)… Doc Stearne, a.k.a. Mr. Monster (Fred Kelly)… Brok Windsor (Maple Leaf Publishing, Ltd.)… and Neil the Horse (Arn Saba). Quite a collection of Canadian content! Thanks to publisher Mark Shainblum for his blessing to reprint this artwork. If you wanna see it in color, and learn even more about Canadian comics of all kinds, copies of the Canuck Comics trade paperback are still available from Matrix Press; see display ad on page 35. [Illustration ©2004 Ken Steacy; characters TM & ©2004 their respective trademark and copyright holders.]

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Submit Something To Alter Ego! Alter Ego is on the lookout for items that can be utilized in upcoming issues: • Convention Sketches and Program Books • Unpublished Artwork • Original Scripts (the older the better!) • Photos • Unpublished Interviews • Little-seen Fanzine Material We’re also interested in articles, article ideas, or any other suggestions... and we pay off in FREE COPIES of A/E. (If you’re already an A/E subscriber, we’ll extend your subscription.) Contact: Roy Thomas, Editor 32 Bluebird Trail St. Matthews, SC 29135 Fax: (803)826-6501 • E-mail: roydann@ntinet.com

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Canada’s Golden Age part three

“My Teacher Was Just Alex Raymond Strips” A Conversation with Canadian Comic Artist/Writer JERRY LAZARE

[A/E NOTE: This interview, too, appeared in Now and Then Times, Vol. 1, #2 (Oct. 1973), and was in all probability conducted by editor Dave Sim, with whose gracious permission it is reprinted. It has been slightly abridged. ©1973 Dave Sim. —Roy.] 1973 INTERVIEWER’S INTRO: The following interview was held at Jerry Lazare’s studio on Prince Arthur in Toronto in April of this year. Since his early years with Bell Features, Jerry has become a topnotch illustrator and a fine painter. At the time of this interview, he was preparing to embark on one of the most important projects of his career—an enormous mural in the National Art Gallery depicting the rise of civilization. After its completion, he wishes to spend one whole year just painting and then, hopefully, stage a one-man show at a Toronto gallery. —Dave Sim.

NOW AND THEN TIMES: When and where were you born, and do you recall your first inclination to being an artist? JERRY LAZARE: I was born in Toronto in 1927. The earliest recollection I have is that I had a half-brother, and he stayed with the family every once in a while. He wanted to draw just for fun from the big Saturday comic strip pages. I guess I was about four or five, and I remember lying on the floor when he was drawing and watching him. And then I started to fiddle around. That’s my first recollection of holding a pencil. When I got into high school, I read comics and was fascinated with the work of Alex Raymond [Flash Gordon], primarily because I thought he was such a great draftsman. The comics that were funny or

As shown on p. 12, Jerry Lazare’s creations Nitro and The Wing co-starred in at least one story… but they were basically solo features. This “Nitro” splash is from Dime Comics #25, and “The Wing” from Joke Comics #18. Provider Robert Pincombe writes re the former: “As you can see from the children’s illustrations [see p. 42], this is Lazare’s own style without so much swiping.” [©2004 the respective copyright holders.]

Alter Ego #36