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Roy T Thomas homas’ Legendary Legendary Roy Comics F F anzine Comics anzine $$

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No. 7 WINTER 2001

“Crises On Finite Earths!” Julie Schwartz And Chums On The

JLA and JSA!

Co Starring: Anderson ∂ Busiek ∂ Conway Dillin ∂ Ditko ∂ Friedrich Gallagher ∂ Infantino ∂ Kane Kirby ∂ Kubert ∂ Levitz ∂ Maggin Naydel ∂ NOdell ∂ O’Neil ∂ Ordway Perez ∂ Schaffenberger Sekowsky ∂ Swan ∂ Thomas ∂ Wein

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Volume 3, No. 7 Winter 2001

JSA-JLA Section

™

Editor Roy Thomas

Associate Editor Bill Schelly

Design & Layout Jon B. Cooke GREAT SWAMP GRAPHICS

Production John Morrow Eric Nolen-Weathington

Consulting Editors John Morrow Jon B. Cooke

FCA Editor P.C. Hamerlinck

Comics Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert

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

Cover Artists Rich Buckler C.C. Beck

Writer/Editorial: The Super-Teams Supreme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 On the latest TwoMorrows trade paperback, The All-Star Companion, and our favorite Society. All Schwartz Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Roy Thomas chats with DC’s great editor Julius Schwartz on his days in the Golden Age. Crises on Finite Earths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Complete with interviews, A/E examines every single JSA-JLA team-up from 1963-85.

Cover Color Tom Ziuko C.C. Beck

Mailing Crew Russ Garwood, D. Hambone, Glen Musial, Ed Stelli, Pat Varker

And Special Thanks to: Mike W. Barr Dave Berg Brian Boerner Ray Bottorff, Jr. Frank Brunner Rich Buckler Kurt Busiek Gerry Conway Craig Delich Al Dellinges Mark Evanier Ramona Fradon Mike Friedrich Keif Fromm Carl Gafford Jennifer T. Go Ron Harris Roger Hill Joe Kubert Paul Levitz Elliot Maggin Dave Manak Rich Morrissey

Contents

Will Murray Mart & Carrie Nodell Denny O’Neil Jerry Ordway George Perez David Raboy Ethan Roberts Bob Rogers Alex Ross Julius Schwartz Scott Shaw! David Siegel Robin Snyder Flo Steinberg Marc Swayze Joel Thingvall Dann Thomas Len Wein John Wells Marv Wolfman Donald Woolfolk Ed Zeno

The Many Oaths of The Green Lantern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Craig Delich on prose & poetry and the sacred oaths of the Emerald Gladiator. The Genius Jones Twins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Will Murray uncovers an unlikely coincidence involving Argosy, Lester Dent, and Mort Weisinger. The 1964 Comicon—TwoViews. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Bill Schelly and Ethan Roberts look at the first bona fide comics convention. Corrections to the All-Star Companion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Special Mac Raboy/FCA Part II Section . . . . . . . . . . . . Flip Us! About Our Cover: Just for a kick, Roy asked a favorite Bronze Age collaborator of his—Rich Buckler—to draw an homage to the very first JLA-JSA cover of all, as flawlessly executed in 1963 by Mike Sekowsky and Murphy Anderson. It looks a lot like the original, until you stop short and notice the greatly increased roll call in the upper half of the picture. But there are some subtle switcheroos in the bottom half, too, which you probably won’t notice till you compare original and homage! [JLA & JSA ©2001 DC Comics.] Above: The JSA’s first meeting in 12 years, as served up by Schwartz, Fox, Sekowsky, and Sachs; repro’d from a photocopy of the original art, courtesy of Jerry Bails. [JLA & JSA ©2001 DC Comics.] Alter EgoTM is published quarterly by TwoMorrows, 1812 Park Drive, Raleigh, NC 27605, USA. Phone: (919) 833-8092. Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: Rt. 3, Box 468, St. Matthews, SC 29135, USA. Fax: (803) 826-6501; e-mail: roydann@oburg.net. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Single issues: $5.95 ($7.00 Canada, $9.00 elsewhere). Four-issue subscriptions: $20 US, $27 Canada, $37 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

writer/editorial

The Super-Teams Supreme T

his issue of Alter Ego has been advertised as “a companion to The All-Star Companion,” my 208-page book on The Justice Society of America recently published by TwoMorrows. But A/E V3#7 wasn’t originally planned as a “companion” to anything. It’s just that, in order to contain all the material on the JSA, from 1940 through 2000, that I had pulled together, it became apparent early last year that the trade paperback would have had to be more like 250-300 pages, which simply wasn’t feasible.

While the original JLA-JSA stories were, paradoxically, more of a writer’s idea of heaven than an artist’s, one penciler in particular clearly loved drawing them: George Perez, who else? George was traveling when I needed to reach him; but, when we did run into each other at an enjoyable little comicon in Baltimore this fall, I was able to garner at least a few tidbits of last-minute info. Not that we’re exactly short on original art to reproduce in conjunction with the coverage, especially from the Sekowsky-Dillin years, thanks to Alter Ego founder Jerry G. Bails and several other generous art collectors. Our main regret in the artistic area was that we were unable to unearth a single photo of Dick Dillin, who drew more JLA-JSA team-ups than any other artist. (Anybody out there got one? I was never privileged to meet that talented gentleman, who died a few years ago.) And special thanks to Ye Editor’s old Captain Carrot collaborator Scott Shaw! for providing a great photo of mighty Mike Sekowsky, and to Mark Evanier for telling us he had one.

So, as I explain in the Companion, I cut the post-1950 material down considerably—hell, I even took out stuff from the Golden Age section—and made plans to print the fuller coverage of the JLA-JSA team-ups of 1963-1985 in Alter Ego, instead. The Companion now contains a ten-page overview of the JLA-JSA tales—but publisher John Morrow did find a way, at the eleventh hour, to display each and every JLAJSA cover as a special section in The All-Star Companion. That may well be the first time it’s ever been done.

The rest of this issue, I think, speaks pretty much for itself… but I’ll do a little ventriloquist act at this point, just the same.

An added plus is that, with no need now to show every JLA-JSA cover (there are around fifty of them, counting related comics) in Alter Ego, we could add something special to the magazine’s coverage. Accordingly, in addition to the scheduled interview with original Justice League of America editor Julie Schwartz (his first since last summer’s publication of his valuable memoir Man of Two Worlds, written with Brian Thomsen), I decided to try to contact every writer of JLA-JSA stories I could find.

Bill Schelly and Ethan Roberts provide two complementary viewpoints on the very first real comics convention, held in New York in 1964, complete with art by the likes of Ditko, Kirby, et al. And don’t we all wish we’d been there!

Happily, only two of the even dozen scripters of the original 23 JLA-JSA story arcs have passed away: Gardner Fox (in 1986) and E. Nelson Bridwell (in 1987). Most of the surviving authors were unstinting with their time and reminiscences, and surprised me more than once with behind-the-scenes info I hadn’t guessed… as when Elliot Maggin talked about how (and why) he envied Avengers writer Steve Englehart, or when Len Wein revealed the origin of the name “Earth-X.” I even rounded up a few comments by Gardner and Nelson, from previouslypublished pieces. Only two JLA-JSA scripters are missing from these pages: Marty Pasko, now an editor at DC, returned no phone calls; and Cary Bates, now writing for Hollywood, has made it clear to various people that he doesn’t want to talk about comics. I’m glad my former collaborator Gerry Conway, a successful TV writer and producer for the past decade-and-a-half, has no such selective amnesia.

Again we have no less than two pieces on Mac Raboy, the legendary artist of Captain Marvel Jr. (and later of Flash Gordon): interviews with his son David, and with his 1940s assistant, Bob Rogers. And, believe it or not, we’re not finished with the Mighty Mac yet!

Michael T. Gilbert showcases some of the non-comics work of the multi-talented C.C. Beck—introduced by an exquisite two-page “Mr. Monster” intro—and Ye Editor tossed in a bit of work by Beck and longtime Fawcett writer Otto Binder as a bonus. P.C. Hamerlinck provides yet another intriguing installment of FCA, for the ever-growing legion of Fawcett-lovers out there, highlighting Marc Swayze and Mad’s Dave Berg. And, because this issue’s theme is “Super-Teams Supreme,” P.C. examines C.C. Beck’s last dealings with DC in the 1970s—which involved a “Marvel Family” script he had written. A/E takes no side in this long-dead dispute, and, alas, Nelson Bridwell is no longer around so that we could get his POV; but Beck’s piece is fascinating, nonetheless. And now, without further (or even nearer) ado…

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

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

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All Schwartz Comics

Article logo by Al Dellinges

A Conversation with Editorial Legend Julius Schwartz Conducted & Edited by Roy Thomas Transcribed by Jon B. Knutson [INTRODUCTION: Julie Schwartz needs no introduction to anyone who knows anything at all about the Silver Age of Comics, since as the original editor of The Flash, Green Lantern, Justice League of America, Hawkman, The Atom, The Spectre, et al., from 1956 through the 1970s, he practically invented the damn thing. Earlier, he was a science-fiction fan, then agent, in the 1930s and early ’40s; and from 1944 he was an editor at All-American Comics and later for DC Comics proper. (All-American, a company which included all comics featuring Wonder Woman, Flash, and/or Green Lantern, among others, lasted from 1939 to 1945, when it was wholly absorbed by National/DC; however, DC’s symbol had graced all AA covers during those years except for a brief time in 1945.) [Julie, who is one of the people most responsible for (or guilty of, take your pick) helping Ye Writer/Editor break into the comic book field in 1965, graciously agreed to be interviewed this past August in conjunction with The All-Star Companion, and for this issue of Alter Ego. The limited purpose of the interview—his first since publication of his memoirs—was to be the JSA in the 1940s, and to some extent the influential JLA-JSA team-ups he initiated with writer Gardner F. Fox in 1963. [My intention in what follows was simply to ask Julie all the questions I could think of about All-Star and the Golden Age JSA, which he edited from 1944-50. Julie has been swearing for decades that he remembers few details about individual stories or even the original series; but I felt I had nothing to lose by asking. Until I did, none of us could ever be certain he might not, under gentle prodding, recall some detail that had just never occurred to him before. And, indeed, while Julie is understandably uncertain about many events now more than half a century in the past, the reader is still likely to find a few surprises in what follows. I know I did…. —Roy.] ROY THOMAS: Basically, Julie, what I’d like us to talk about is the Justice Society, which means mostly All-Star Comics in the 1940s, but to some extent the JLA-JSA team-ups, as well. We’ll send you a free

copy of The All-Star Companion. JULIUS SCHWARTZ: [laughs] I’d expect that “irregardless”! All right, go ahead. RT: You’ve often told the story of how you bought three comics on the way to be interviewed at AllAmerican in 1944, and how that’s the only thirty cents you ever spent on comics in your life. Do you know what kind of comics those three were? SCHWARTZ: What titles and issues? Only my memory bank knows. I don’t. Photo of Julius Schwartz which he says was “taken August 10, 1945... how I looked in my All-Star days!” And yes, he hyphenated “All-Star”! (Below) Julie’s recent memoir, Man of Two Worlds: My Life in Science Fiction and Comics, written with Brian M. Thomsen, is a 200-page treasure trove for fans of the Golden and Silver Ages, available at better comics shops, via online booksellers, and through Bud Plant, among others. [©2000 Julius Schwartz]

RT: Well… did they help? With the interview, I mean. SCHWARTZ: I guess I’d have to answer positively, because when Shelly Mayer interviewed me, my answers must’ve been good enough for him to hire me on the spot! [laughs] RT: So he did the actual hiring? You didn’t meet with [publisher] M.C. Gaines? SCHWARTZ: No, no, no. Just Shelly. In fact, he offered me $60 a week. I never thought of mentioning that before. $60 a week was pretty good back in those days. RT: ’Twasn’t bad. I started out at DC in ’65 for only $100 a week—$110 at Marvel—and that was twenty years of inflation later! SCHWARTZ: I must have been doing well enough, because once he’d offered me $60 a week—it was during the War years—he could not raise me in salary [due to a Wartime wage freeze], so what he did was give me a $100 a month bonus after a couple of months. RT: That was really good! SCHWARTZ: Yeah, that was much more than I was making as a literary agent. RT: Did the fact that you were a science-fiction fan and reader and agent probably help you get the job? SCHWARTZ: It wasn’t the fact that I was a fan; it

A Conversation with Editorial Legend Julius Schwartz

5 RT: You mean she just thought of ideas for “The Atom,” for this character or that character, in spare moments, and wrote them on index cards?

was that I was a literary agent. Writers would submit scripts to me, and if I liked one well enough to submit to magazine editors, I had the know-how whether the story was good or bad. Shelly knew I was wellversed in pulp magazines, with their strong plots, and that’s the type of stories AllAmerican was doing.

SCHWARTZ: Right! Let me tell you something about Dorothy. She married Walter Galli and later divorced him, her second husband, to marry Bill Woolfolk [prominent comic book writer and later a bestselling novelist]. Let me tell you an anecdote I probably should’ve put in my book….

RT: Did you know Dorothy Roubicek, whom you replaced as script editor under Shelly Mayer in 1944? SCHWARTZ: Very well. She had replaced Ted Udall a couple of years earlier. You know who Ted Udall is? His real name? If you check the early All-American Comics, there were several text stories written by “Ted Yigdal.” I believe that’s how you spell his real name. He was an editor for Shelly prior to World War II, and he wrote stories.

RT: Well, you can put it in the second edition. SCHWARTZ: This is roughly in the early ’90s. After the San Diego conventions, I used to go up to Los Angeles and spend three or four days with Harlan Ellison, Gil Kane, and Forrest Ackerman. I’d go to the Golden Apple comic book shop, and just hang out. I’d stay at the Holiday Inn in Westwood.

Before Ted Udall came along [in 1940—RT], I believe Shelly Mayer may have gotten some editorial help from— what was the name of that artist who did “Hop Harrigan”? RT: Jon Blummer. He both wrote and drew it, I think. Splash of All-Star Comics #26 (Fall 1945). Art by Joe Gallagher and Martin Naydel.

One day, exiting the Holiday Inn, to my stunned amazement, I see Dorothy! I say, “Dorothy?” She says, “Julie?” And we hug each other. Listen, is Dorothy still alive?

SCHWARTZ: Well, I think he [©2001 DC Comics.] RT: Yes. Bill and her son Don may have helped Shelly with the both wrote me recently that she is. [NOTE: Sadly, Dorothy Roubicek editing for a while, too, earlier. Now, when Ted Udall got drafted [in Woolfolk passed away in Dec. 2000.] 1942—RT], that presumably is when Shelly hired Dorothy Roubicek. What Dorothy had done before, I have no idea. SCHWARTZ: I hadn’t seen her in twenty years! When she was back at DC briefly during the 1970s, editing the romance books, I used to go The reason Dorothy was leaving in ’44 is, she was getting married to into her office and talk with her. a comic book artist named Walter Galli, and she gave notice; she was just going to stay another week. As a matter of fact, I think it was a RT: You went to work for AA in ’44. Later that year, things began to short week. [laughs] I was hired February 21, 1944, and began working on February 23. February 22 was Washington’s Birthday, which in those days was a legal holiday. It wasn’t until years later that we instituted The quirky 1985 one-shot Presidents’ Day. Fifty Who Made DC Great For three days, as I roughly remember, Dorothy briefed me. She advised me that my main job would be plotting stories and editing them. I would not have to bother with the artwork, which was a relief. I knew nothing about art. She left behind a series of index cards containing plot ideas. Hey! Now that I think of it, I haven’t thought about this in years. You’re pretty good, Roy! RT: [laughs] It’s a gift, Julie. SCHWARTZ: She left a series of index cards. If she had to plot an “Atom” story, she’d go to that index card and come up with a plot she’d already prepared. I don’t think I ever mentioned that to anybody before.

featured this photo of All-American’s original editor, Sheldon Mayer, then 68. The cartoon by Steven Petruccio depicts the historical event of a young (but prematurely bearded) Mayer pushing Siegel and Shuster’s “Superman” on Gaines et al. in 1938. Not only that, but six years later he hired Julie Schwartz! [©2001 DC Comics.]

Crises on Finite Earths

ON FINITE EARTHS The Justice League-Justice Society Team-Ups (1963-1985) by Roy Thomas [NOTE: This piece was originally written to be included in the recent TwoMorrows trade paperback The All-Star Companion. However, due to space limitations, most of the pages of that volume dealt with the 1940-1951 incarnation of All-Star Comics. A much shorter and far less complete version of this “reader’s guide” to the JLA-JSA team-ups appears in the Companion… with almost entirely different illustrations, but displaying all 50+ JLA-JSA covers! The article that follows has been somewhat rewritten, yet no attempt has been made to disguise that it is in actuality a fuller version of a chapter of the 208-page book. [In addition, the piece here goes beyond what was planned for The All-Star Companion, in featuring excerpts from my last-minute mini-interviews of most of the JLA-JSA writers (there were twelve, counting myself). We contacted each of the living writers, and a hearty thank-you to each of the scripters who graciously responded. Happily, only Gardner F. Fox, the first and most important, and E. Nelson Bridwell have passed on; but both these are sorely missed for their talent and for their enthusiasm. An attempt was made to contact each of the other nine; Martin Pasko and Cary Bates did not respond, but I’m very grateful to the others for their time and memories. [Much as I generally hate sidebars (when I run into them in magazines or books, I never know whether I’m supposed to go on reading the main text,

or whether I’m intended to stop and peruse the sidebar’s subject before moving on), I’ve resorted to them hereafter, placing the comments of each participant with the issues on which he worked. Because the sidebars get increasingly out of sync with the main text as the article progresses, I suggest you read the issue-info first, then skip to the interviews with the respective writer. Between 1956 and 1961, editor Julius Schwartz of DC Comics (then officially known as National Periodical Publications) launched new, updated incarnations of The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, The Atom, and The Justice Society of America (now The Justice League of America). Even so, a number of readers still clamored for the return of the original 1940s heroes of All-Star Comics. Alter Ego’s founder Jerry G. Bails and I were among the most vocal and persistent of these, but ours were hardly lone voices calling out in the fourcolor wilderness. These mostly adult readers carried the bring-back-the-JSA banner both in comics fanzines and in letters to editors, particularly to Julie, godfather of the Silver Age of Comics.

A “family portrait” of the full roster of the Justice Society, by Murphy Anderson—who also drew this 1984 illo of Julius Schwartz, prime mover of the JLA-JSA team-ups. [JSA drawing ©2001 DC Comics; J.S. art ©2001 Murphy Anderson.]

Accordingly, in The Flash #123 (Sept. 1961), editor Schwartz and writer Gardner Fox startled comics readers by revealing that Jay (“Flash”) Garrick and Barry (“Flash”) Allen both existed in the DC Universe; they merely dwelt on two parallel Earths. These worlds vibrated at different speeds, and their inhabitants were thus totally unaware of each other—until three of

The Justice League-Justice Society Team-Ups Garrick’s foes (Fiddler, Shade, and Thinker) crossed over to Allen’s Earth to wreak havoc. Thus was born the concept of “Earth-Two,” a world on which the heroes of the Golden Age JSA had been real, not mere figments of a comic book. (But surely that wonderful scene back in Robert Kanigher’s script and Carmine Infantino’s art for very first neo-Flash story, in 1956’s Showcase #4, wherein Barry reads an old issue of Flash Comics just before he is struck by a mixture of lightning and chemicals, had an influence on Flash #123 five years later.) It seems likely that Fox was brought in for the very first time to script Flash #123 because in 1940 he had created the original speedster. However, regular 1960s Flash writer John Broome had also written the human comet’s exploits in the late ’40s, as had origin-writer Kanigher. “Flash of Two Worlds” was a sensation to new and longtime fans alike. Its cover became one of the most famous and most imitated of the decade. The world in which the older Flash lived was christened EarthTwo, and the younger Flash’s Earth-One; but that was merely an acknowledgment that Barry Allen was the main event, and Jay Garrick a pleasant sideshow. In the second two-Flashes encounter (Flash #129, June 1962), Schwartz, Fox, and penciler Infantino teased the readers with a flashback sequence from All-Star #57’s “Mystery of the Vanishing Detectives,” the JSA’s last recorded case. Predictably, readers clamored for more. Finally, with the third two-Flashes story, came the full-fledged return of The Justice Society of America.

Julius Schwartz [EDITOR’S NOTE: In addition to his words in the interview published earlier in this issue of A/E, original editor Julius Schwartz had the following to say in the magazine Amazing World of DC Comics #14 (March 1977) about the JLA-JSA team-ups:] JULIUS SCHWARTZ: When we did it the first time, we Gardner (l.) and Julie (r.) in the Sid Greene-drawn minihad no inkling that there’d be a classic “The Strange Advensequel. But when the sales figures ture That Really Happened!” came in, we realized there was a from Strange Adventures #140 reader demand, so we dreamed (May ’62). [©2001 DC Comics.] up another crisis for the two teams. When that also did well, we decided to make it an annual affair. Of all the JLA-JSA crossovers we’ve done, with only one exception, they all did extremely well. It’s like a surefire sale…. The idea [of having the JLA meet the JSA] hit Gardner Fox and me in the spur of the moment. We showed the JSA in flashback in the Flash magazine—I think they even came out of retirement in one [Flash] issue—so it was a logical step to team the groups.

There follows an issue-by-issue recounting of…

THE SILVER AGE JUSTICE SOCIETY STORIES THE BEGINNING The Flash #137 (June 1963) “Vengeance of the Immortal Villain!” - 25 pp., 3 chapters Cover: Carmine Infantino (pencil) & Murphy Anderson (ink) Writer: Gardner Fox Artists: Carmine Infantino (p) & Joe Giella (i) JSA Roll Call: Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Atom, Hawkman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Johnny Thunder THE STORY: The Flashes of two Earths team up to fight the Earth-Two Green Lantern’s old foe, Vandal Savage—and to free six captured members of the Justice Society. Afterward, the JSA decide to come out of retirement. NOTES: (a) Oddly, Johnny Thunder, rather than his 1948-51 replacement Black Canary, completes the JSA roster here. (b) Though The Atom wears his All-Star #42-57 costume, Hawkman sports the beaked and winged helmet he hadn’t worn since #41.

THE JUSTICE LEAGUE-JUSTICE SOCIETY TEAM-UPS (1963-1985) Before the ink was dry on Flash #137, the powers-that-be at National/DC had already made the decision to guest-star the JSA in the two summer issues of Justice League of America, a move which quickly proved so popular that the “JLA-JSA team-ups” became an annual tradition for the following twenty-two years! Just as All-Star #3 had been one of the most important super-hero comics events of the Golden Age, ranking just behind the debut of Superman in impact, so the JLA-JSA pairings at least rivaled in impact all Silver Age DC super-hero events except the introduction of the second Flash in Showcase #4 (1956) and of the JLA itself in The Brave and the Bold #28 (1960).

Gardner Fox [Gardner F. Fox (1911-1986) is undoubtedly one of the most important writers in the history of comic books. He created or co-created the original Flash, Hawkman, and Dr. Fate, among others, and was the first writer of both The Justice Society of America in 1940 and The Justice League of America in 1960. In The Flash #123 (1961) he authored “Flash of Two Worlds,” the tale which introduced the Earth-One/Earth-Two concept, and he became the writer of the first six JLAJSA team-ups. The following remarks are excerpted from an interview conducted by Rich Morrissey for Batmania #22 (July 1977); Marvel Comics editor and writer Mark Gruenwald was present and makes a comment at one point, as well. That interview is ©2001 Rich Morrissey, and is used with permission.] RICH MORRISSEY: Whose idea was it to bring back the Golden Age heroes? GARDNER FOX: It was Julie’s. He gave The Flash and the others new secret identities and developed new characters. I later had the two Flashes meet in “Flash of Two Worlds.” MARK GRUENWALD: Ah, yes! The very foundation of parallel worlds in comic books. RM: How did that come about? Was the parallel-world setup your idea?

The Many Oaths of—

THE MANY OATHS OF

Of Prose & Poetry and Sacred Oaths by Craig Delich When evil threatened between 1940 and 1949, the Golden Age Green Lantern (just like his Silver Age counterpart) charged his ring at his magic lamp, then went forth to battle the forces of darkness. Actually, we presume he did the same thing through late 1950, when his last appearance was chronicled in All-Star #57; but he was never shown charging his ring in the later Justice Society adventures, as he had earlier done in All-American Comics, Green Lantern, and Comic Cavalcade. On occasion, Alan Scott merely touched his ring silently to the lamp before flying off. However, one of the unique aspects of his ring-charging was the oath he recited during his private ritual. Mart Nodell, the artist who basically created The Green Lantern, has said he devised the original oath, which was used from the hero’s first appearance (in All-American Comics #16, July 1940) up till the end of 1943. However, Nodell recalls that he showed the oath to editor Sheldon Mayer, who made some changes in it—and it’s possible, says Nodell, that writer Bill Finger may have had a hand in making adjustments to it, as well, since Finger was involved in the very first GL story.

The oath varied slightly when he spoke it the second time, in All-American #18 (Sept. 1940). As can be seen by examining the accompanying illustrations, the two versions are identical, except that the earlier one contains a second dramatic pause 2/3 of the way through—and then repeats the words “the light.” The editor and/or writer must have felt the first way was better, for after #18 the dramatic pause and repetition were usually part and parcel of that oath. (The comma after “for” was dropped in the written version, as well, probably for the better.) Still, during the early years, there were several minor variations of the oath. In All-American #23 (Feb. 1941), for example, the word “upon” is substituted for “over.” (See illustration.) But is that a real change, or did Green Lantern— or maybe writer Bill Finger—just forget?

Without a doubt, the use of this solemn, almost grim oath contributed not only to the uniqueness of Green Lantern as a character, but also to his popularity, for no other hero of the 1940s had anything like it. The oath portrayed the commitment Alan Scott had to his new occupation in society... it stated Actually, all the reader ever Recent color illustration of Green Lantern by Mart Nodell, for a poster sold at his purpose in clear, distinct terms... got to read was what seemed to be comics conventions. [Art ©2001 Mart Nodell; Green Lantern ©2001 DC Comics.] it had mystical, maybe even religious the tail end of the oath, beginning overtones. Captain Marvel’s with a dash (really, a couple of “Shazam!” or Johnny Quick’s magic formula just didn’t match up. hyphens) followed by an “and” that suggested there was more before How could they? it. However, since no earlier words to the oath were never revealed, perhaps Alan Scott composed it that way, starting in mid-stream: Around the time Alfred Bester took over the writing of the strip “—And I shall shed my light over dark evil... for, the dark things cannot stand the light... the light of the Green Lantern!”

from Bill Finger in late 1943, Green Lantern suddenly adopted a new oath—one that rhymed:

—The Green Lantern!

regular authorship of the Green Lantern strip. This writer, whoever he was, may have started on the “GL” feature as early as the story in Green Lantern #4 (Summer 1942). The Emerald Gladiator recited his oath only once in the entire issue-length story, and it was a shorter and less poetic version of the original oath. If this was someone’s idea of an improvement, he had a tin ear. (See next page.) However, by Green Lantern #5 (Autumn 1942), this writer was in full swing, with no less than two highly unusual oaths found within this book-length tale. These two oaths have little in common with either the original oath, or with each other. The simplicity of the first oath was in danger of being lost. (See next page for this one too.) It seems unlikely that Bill Finger would suddenly and so dramatically change a long-standing tradition in the Green Lantern mythos. So we must yet look elsewhere for this writer’s identity.

“In brightest day, in darkest night, No evil shall escape my sight! Let those who worship evil’s might, Beware my power—Green Lantern’s light!” This oath, too, even excluding minor variations in punctuation, had one slightly alternate version. By 1945, the word “blackest” had permanently replaced “darkest.” It was this second version of the rhymed oath, of course, that was revived by editor Julius Schwartz and/or writer John Broome when Hal Jordan debuted as the second Green Lantern in Showcase #22 (Sept.-Oct. 1959), and which has been used ever since. Who was responsible for this ultimate, longest-lasting Green Lantern oath? Mart Nodell or Bill Finger, perhaps? Definitely not! I’ve spoken with many individuals who worked for DC during that period. No one who worked on the strip as a writer claims to have devised it. Most seem to feel that Alfred Bester created it, because that was the only oath he used when he wrote “Green Lantern” stories. However, in his last published interview before his death, Bester denied creating it! One thing few people are aware of is that, from mid-1942 until early 1943, as Bill Finger was packing his bags to go fight for Uncle Sam, Green Lantern began to use completely different oaths when charging his ring—oaths never used before or after this six-month period!

Note the preposition change in this E.E. Hibbard panel from All-American #23, the first issue not drawn by Mart Nodell (or rather, “Mart Dellon”!)... though still scripted by Bill Finger. [©2001 DC Comics.]

It is logical to assume that these oaths were written by one or more persons who worked on the strip only briefly—yet by someone who had the power to change the oath originally devised by Nodell, Mayer, and Finger—and by someone who might possibly have liked to assume the

From All-American #38 (May 1942), a pair of panels by Irwin Hasen, the second regular “Green Lantern” artist. Repro’d from photocopies of the original art, courtesy of Joel Thingvall. [©2001 DC Comics.]

In All-American Comics #45 (December 1942), we find yet another off-the-wall oath—extremely short, if not quite sweet. (See next page.) At roughly the same time, in the “Green Lantern” story in Comic Cavalcade #1 (Winter 1942-43), this truncated oath appeared: “Let all power and triumph be mine in whatever right I do!” More or less simultaneous with Comic Cavalcade #1, Green Lantern #6 (Winter 1942-43) contained yet another unusual oath recited by our hero: “The light of the Green Lantern pierces darkness and mystery, and its radiance will strike at the heart at evil!” Finally, in All-American #47 (February 1943), a last unusual oath was recited by the Emerald Crusader. (See next page.) Half a dozen versions of the oath in as many months. Something was clearly going on. The identity of this mystery writer is uncertain, and probably always will be.

Comic Fandom Archive Department

1964

The New York Comicon--Two Views Presented by Bill Schelly [EDITOR’S NOTE: For some years, Seattle-based Bill Schelly has been collecting, indexing, and recording artifacts of the comic book fan movement of the 1960s and early ’70s. This painstaking research has resulted in two editions of his landmark volume The Golden Age of Comic Fandom, as well as several other fandom-related publications. (Do yourself a favor and see Hamster Press’ ad elsewhere in this issue.) [Early on, founding father Jerry G. Bails proclaimed that comics fandom couldn’t count itself as truly organized until it had put on a national fan convention. And so, after a tentative outing or two, the first comics convention that could truly be called “national” was held in New York City, at that time home to virtually all comics publishers. [While Bill was preparing a piece on the ’64 Comicon and its program booklet, collector/fan Ethan Roberts independently suggested that he himself write an article on that seminal event, which he had helped organize. Bill has coordinated these two pieces, to give a closeup look at the 1964 New York Comicon… starting with the account of eyewitness Ethan. —R.T.]

The 1964 New York Comicon: A Personal Reminiscence by Ethan Roberts

Above: Metal button designed by Art Tripp for the first New York Comicon. Reprinted from Bill Schelly’s The Golden Age of Comic Fandom, courtesy of the author.

IND LL, D, and F subway lines all had stations there. Surrounding this island of the unique and the radical were the commercial interests of lower Manhattan, including the original store of the S. Klein department store chain. I was there about to get involved in something that was then unique, a radical change for the comics business—the first real comic book convention.

It had started months earlier when I had seen notices in The Rocket’s Blast-Comicollector (RB-CC) and in some comics letters columns that a group of fans were trying to stage a get-together of comic book collectors. One afternoon in a Queens County candy store I finally got a name and a location—Bernie Bubnis, out on Long Island. It’s hard to believe how many outlets there were for comics then. Newsstands sold them. Pharmacies sold them. However, the most common outlets were the neighborhood candy stores, which typically had a soda fountain, candy (big surprise), greeting cards, sports and non-sports cards with bubble gum, and periodicals, including comic books in wire racks. I’d been buying Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Atom, JLA, other DC, and the newly interesting Marvel comics for years. I knew about comic book fandom first from the letters columns in Julius Schwartz-edited DC comics and from buying Jerry Bails and Roy Thomas’ Alter Ego, Bob Jennings’ Comic World, and occasional other fanzines. I had already met some other fans and had been dealing with comic dealers Phil Seuling and Howard Rogofsky in New York, and Bill Thailing in Cleveland. But this getting together in a group was something new to me, so I grabbed my loose change and scurried to the pay phone in the back of the candy store. I looked up Bubnis in the Nassau County phone book and dropped in the proper change.

New York, New York, July 27, 1964. I Ethan Robert’s high school graduation picture. was an 181/2-year-old college junior who looked fourteen. What was I doing on 4th Bernie and I talked through several change deposits. He told me his Avenue just south of 14th Street, eyeballing strangers and handing out plans and the problems he was having, the chief of which was locating a white buttons with bold blue and red letters on them? site to hold the gathering. It had to be in Manhattan, to be close to the That neighborhood has an interesting history. 14th and 4th is the comics publishers and to provide transportation for those coming into southeast corner of Union Square, then a major site for radical politics “The City.” I told him I thought I could find a site. We started to disin New York. Anarchists, communists, socialists of various stripes, and cuss it when my supply of change ran out and we got cut off. Bernie labor union activists would literally stand on a soapbox to harangue wrote later that he thought me very excited and was surprised when we passersby, hoping to draw a crowd. Union Square itself was a trapezoid were cut off. I didn’t call him back. I had run out of cash; and besides, I stretching from 14th to 17th Street, with 4th Avenue as its eastern already knew what I had to do. border and Broadway on the west; it was a park with trees, bushes, I scrambled around for some sites and finally thought of the meetgrass, benches, concrete sidewalks, and subway station exits erupting ing place of my parents’ fraternal organization, The Workmen’s Circle, passengers or swallowing them. The Lexington Avenue IRT and the

The 1964 New York Comicon—Two Views a.k.a. Der Arbeiter Ring, Formed largely by working class Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, The Workmen’s Circle was a selfhelp group for people with little money or knowledge of English. Many spoke Russian, Ukrainian, Latvian, Hungarian, and other tongues; most also spoke Hebrew, but their language in common was the bastardized Middle High German called Yiddish. By the time I was born, the sons and daughters of those immigrants were beginning to take over the organization. They usually spoke English, and they maintained the Democratic-Socialist politics that had been common amongst the founders and which dominated the Union Square area. My parents and relatives belonged to Branch 1001, the largest English-speaking unit in New York. Its office was on the second floor of a building located on the west side of 4th Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets. The entrance was little more than a door’s width wide. Once inside, you climbed a flight of stairs to get to Workmen’s Circle. The office area had a number of rooms, including a moderate-sized meeting room. I had been to children’s gatherings with Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop and to teenage group dating parties there. I talked to my parents and my uncle, who had a prominent post in the organization. Branch 1001, somewhat bewilderingly, agreed to let us hold the meeting there. I called Bernie and told him I’d located a place to hold the gathering. He was delighted. Arrangements were made and announcements sent out. The morning of July 27th (a Monday) dawned bright and sunny. It promised to be hot, but not as humid as New York could be. I made my way down to Union Square by subway like a good New Yorker. I got there shortly after noon and went to check the meeting room to make sure everything was okay. Others began to arrive. Unfortunately, Bernie was not there yet, and the crowd was still small. There was some confusion and anxiety. We were supposed to start at 1:00 P.M. and the main organizer was late! Art Tripp had already arrived with a supply of specially-made metal buttons, slightly larger than a quarter, white with the word “COMICON” in blue above and “1964” below in red. In order to relieve anxiety and make sure nobody got lost, Art and a few of us went up to 14th Street to watch for comics fans and to hand out buttons. It was blindingly bright and hot after being in a normally lit, air-conditioned building. We did collar some stragglers. Finally Bernie showed up with Ron Fradkin, bearing gifts from major publishers. Some other fans came with them. The comicon scouts were drawn back into the meeting area. It was later learned that withdrawal combined with the narrow entrance and second floor location of the comicon led to a number of fans missing the gathering altogether. At 2:00 P.M., with Bernie there and the dealers set up, the program began. The first formal speaker was Dave Twedt (pronounced “tweet”), a representative sent by Marvel Comics. He was an all-American type in a suit. Unfortunately, he didn’t know much about the comic book business in general or Marvel Comics in particular. He was just a college student intern, so the very first professional from the comics industry to address a gathering of fans was not impressive. We pelted him with questions anyway. He did his best to answer them. Nobody had any overripe fruit. During this exchange, two more folks arrived from the Marvel Bullpen: Steve Ditko and Flo Steinberg.

43 Steve Ditko donated a Spider-Man drawing which later became this front cover of The 1964 Comicon Booklet; but since the program book was printed via spiritduplicator, con organizer Bernie Bubnis had to trace Ditko’s illo onto a ditto master. [Spider-Man ©2001 Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Ditko looked just like he drew himself in back-up Spider-Man features: tall, thin, balding, dour, with glasses. I had a one-on-one conversation with him. Over the course of the next thirty-six years of attending conventions, it ranks as the most depressing exchange I ever had with a comics pro. Even though I was majoring in Biology, a field in which I eventually earned a Ph.D., I confessed to Mr. Ditko that I was considering a career as a comic book artist. I think any comic book fan with modest drawing talent entertains that idea at some time. After all, biologists do have to draw diagrams. Ditko proceeded to tell me how hard the job was; he also said it paid too little and had few lasting rewards. It was a real downer. I think we attendees had the same effect on Steve Ditko, because he never came to a convention again. Flo Steinberg, on the other hand, was a delight. She was as friendly as anyone could wish, and pretty, too. When I told her I had received my Merry Marvel Marching Society membership card without a signature, she suggested I sent it to her at Marvel and she would get it signed. (She was as good as her word.) The next organized event was a “chalk talk” by comics professional Tom Gill. Actually it was a double flip-chart talk. To me, Tom Gill will always be THE Lone Ranger artist. While Charles Flanders was the comic strip’s artist (and the first 37 issues of the Lone Ranger comic book were strip reprints), Gill drew the new stories Dell and later Gold Key published thereafter. If the Ranger’s uniform was blue-gray instead of red shirt and black pants, Tom was the artist. He drew the Tonto and Hi Yo Silver books, as well. His talk was wellrehearsed, as Gill regularly made trips to military bases and Veterans Administration hospitals to entertain One burning issue was resolved in 1964: The Silver Age Hawkman finally got his own comic (with a #1 coverdated April-May ’64) after three years of tryouts— as commemorated in the Comicon Booklet by fan artist Ronn Foss. [Hawkman ©2001 DC Comics.]

“Nothing Was Ever Good Enough!”—

“Nothing Was Ever Good Enough!” An Interview with David Raboy Conducted by Roger Hill me, and thus you, the reader, an opportunity to get to know Mac Raboy a bit better than we otherwise might. —R.H.] ROGER HILL: David, I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me about your father, Mac Raboy. I have to ask you right off—was his last name originally “Rabinowitz”? DAVID RABOY: No. My great grandfather’s Ellis Island papers show the name was “Raboi.” These were the papers he brought with him. My grandfather preceded my great grandfather, and when he came over he departed Ellis Island with the name spelled “Raboy.” So I’m guessing that “i” became “y” on Ellis Island. It got “Anglofied.” My grandfather came with one or two other brothers when they were quite young. There were nine brothers altogether, and after they had established themselves with jobs and so on, they brought the other brothers and my great grandfather across. RH: And the name “Raboi” originates from where? Detail of Raboy’s powerful cover for Master Comics #26 (May 1942). Thanks to Keif Fromm. [©2001 DC Comics.]

RABOY: Bessarabka. RH: Do you know how to spell that? RABOY: [laughs] No. All I know is that it is somewhere in eastern Romania. RH: Was your dad’s name Emanuel, or Manuel?

[INTERVIEWER’S NOTE: When I first contacted David Raboy, son of legendary comics artist Mac Raboy, he wasn’t that thrilled to hear from me, let alone begin a discussion about his father. With gentle persuasion, he finally relented and allowed me to question him in depth about his father’s personal life and career working in the comics field. [While growing up in the woods of Golden’s Bridge, New York, David learned much from his father about building things. Mac Raboy had a love for animals, a passion for conservation and science, and an awareness of all things that played into that. David developed similar interests during those years and today holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Animal Science and Animal Behavior. [He currently works as a zoo director, which entails the planning and building of new zoos to replace old ones. David has loaned his abilities to the development of zoo facilities all over the United States, including the building of new zoos in Syracuse, New York, Waco, Texas, and New Bedford, Massachusetts. My utmost thanks to David for allowing

RABOY: Manuel. But all of my life, when he was alive, I never once heard him referred to as Manuel. No one ever called him anything but Mac. RH: I understand your grandfather’s name was Isaac [NOTE: misspelled “Issac” last issue.—R.T.], and that he worked in a hat factory and wrote several books. RABOY: And essays, poetry, and political polemics, and so on. RH: I believe he eventually moved to the Mid-West later on, didn’t he? RABOY: He moved to North Dakota, which is probably a little further than what most people think of as the Mid-West. He was a horsehandler on a horse ranch just outside of Gladstone, North Dakota. He wrote a couple of books about that experience. All his books were written in Jewish [Hebrew]. I don’t read Jewish. Two of them, however, were translated into English. My Brothers is

—David Raboy Interview about him and his brothers coming to this country, and The Jewish Cowboy was more specifically about experiences in North Dakota. He was there for just a year or a couple of years. The other brothers and their father had a fairly large dairy farm in Connecticut, and my grandfather had graduated from an agricultural college in New Jersey. So he was asked by my great grandfather to return to Connecticut to manage the family dairy farm. Which he did… I think, probably, to his regret, but that’s beside the point. So he managed the dairy farm for a while, and worked in New York City, both in a hat factory and as a furrier. As his fame grew as a writer, he ultimately ceased factory work. He contracted TB and died in about 1943, when I was about three. I have just a couple of recollections of him.

RH: Did Mac ever discuss these prints with you or the family? RABOY: Not at any great length. My mother was more willing to discuss them than he was. She was proud of the fact that they were there in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan. When I visited the museum they were not on exhibit, but I inquired and was shown them. They were very typical of his work during that period. RH: Any idea how Mac and your mother met? RABOY: Not a clue. RH: Your mom’s name was Lulu Belle…?

RH: So where was Mac born? I’ve heard both New York City and the Bronx. RABOY: The Bronx is one of the five boroughs that make up New York City. Whether or not he was born in the Bronx, I honestly don’t know. He was born in New York City, somewhere. RH: I heard that Mac was a graduate of De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx. Yet, when a friend of mine tried to locate a picture of him in the high school yearbook records there, he couldn’t be found. RABOY: The only thing I can tell you is my understanding that he graduated from De Witt Clinton. We would drive by it when we drove into the city to visit his mother, who was my grandmother. I can’t account for why there is no yearbook picture. Knowing my father as I do, I’m not surprised. RH: Yes. From what I’ve learned so far, he was a little camera shy. RABOY: [laughs] That’s being charitable. My dad also went to the Cooper Union School and the Pratt Institute. RH: Both are highly respected institutions for artists. RABOY: I’m not aware that he graduated or received any kind of degree from either of them, but I suspect not. RH: It’s very typical for artists to do a year or so at those schools and then move on quickly because of needing work and an income. RABOY: I think that’s pretty much what he did. He was born in 1914, so he would have gone to those schools around 1932 or 1934. RH: Are you aware of the wood engravings Mac did for the WPA back during the Depression? RABOY: I am aware of them. I saw them many years ago at the Met [the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York City]. I went up there.

This Mac Raboy self-portrait was drawn for George “Inky” Roussos’ sketchbook sometime around 1944 or 1945. The late George Roussos, who went on to become a comic book artist himself (see A/E V3#5), took his sketchbook around to many of his artistic “heroes” of the Golden Age to get illos. Raboy did this pencil drawing at the time he was doing Green Lama for Spark Publications. Note the stipple beard and glum look on his face. Not much humor going on here, but then again, there wasn’t much going on in the world at that time to be humorous about. This is the first time this drawing has been reproduced totally intact. (When first seen in Jim Steranko’s History of the Comics, the background images were eliminated.) [©2001 estate of Mac Raboy.]

Alter Ego #7