Alter Ego #93 by TwoMorrows Publishing

Roy Thomas’ Earth-Two Comics Fanzine

JUSTICE ON TWO WORLDS!

WE’RE COMING!

QUICK, GARDNER! WRITE US OUT OF THIS CRISIS!

WE’RE COMING!

WHY DON’T YOU JUST EDIT US OUT OF IT, JULIE? PLUS:

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& GEORGE KASHDAN

No.93 May 2010

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TwoMorrows. Celebrating The Art & History Of Comics. TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • Visit us on the Web at www.twomorrows.com

Vol. 3, No. 93 / May 2010 Editor Roy Thomas

Associate Editors Bill Schelly Jim Amash

Design & Layout Christopher Day

Consulting Editor John Morrow

FCA Editor P.C. Hamerlinck

Comic Crypt Editor Michael T. Gilbert

Editorial Honor Roll Jerry G. Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White Mike Friedrich

Cover Artist

NOW WITH 16 PAG ES OF COLOR!

Carmine Infantino & Jim Amash

Cover Colorist Tom Ziuko

With Special Thanks to: Jack Adams Heidi Amash Dave Armstrong Mark Arnold Bob Bailey Kevin Barber Jerry Beck Jon Berk Dominic Bongo Rich Buckler Mike Burkey James H. Burns Dewey Cassell Bob Cherry Paty Cockrum Al Dellinges Joe Desris Roger Dicken Betty Dobson Rich Donnelly Michael Eury Michael Feldman Shane Foley Frank Giella Janet Gilbert Robert Hack Jennifer Hamerlinck Roger Holda

Wendy Hunt Carmine Infantino Terence Kean Jim Kingman Paul Kupperberg Bruce Mason Kevin McConnell Clifford Meth Kurt Mitchell Sheldon Moldoff Brian K. Morris Will Murray Tony Oliva Fred Patten Ed Quinby Dave Reeder Raymond H. Riethmeier Bob Rozakis Ken Selig Desha Swayze Marc Swayze Dann Thomas Anthony Tollin Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. Jim Van Dore John Wells Alex Winter

Contents Writer/Editorial: All In Color For A Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Earth-Two: A Mini-History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Kurt Mitchell shines the spotlight on every true comics fan’s second-favorite planet.

Justice on Two Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The other Earth-Two stories, issue by issue, 1961-1986; tour conducted by Kurt Mitchell & Roy Thomas.

Flashes Of Three Worlds — Part I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 A quick look at 1949’s Flash Comics #105—the most important comic book on Earth-One!

“I Graduated From Plato And Aristotle To Superman And Batman” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Part I of Jim Amash’s incredible interview with DC Golden/Silver Age editor George Kashdan.

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! The Truth About Comic Books!! . 61 Michael T. Gilbert presents a vintage attack on 1950s comics.

Tribute To Joe Rosen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 re: [correspondence, comments, & corrections] . . . . . . . . . 69 FCA [Fawcett Collectors Of America] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 P.C. Hamerlinck spotlights Marc Swayze—and Fawcett Publications’ 1940s readers! On Our Cover: For the full, unfettered story behind this DC-lightful Carmine Infantino cover, as inked by A/E’s associate editor Jim Amash, see the first page of “Justice on Two Worlds.” [Heroes TM & ©2010 DC Comics; other art ©2010 Carmine Infantino & Jim Amash.] Above: This pulsating splash page by Gil Kane (penciler) and Sid Greene (inker) heralded the first “two Green Lanterns” story, in Green Lantern #40 (Oct. 1965). For more about it, see p. 14. Thanks to Bob Bailey. [©2010 DC Comics.]

This issue is dedicated to the memory of

Joe Rosen

Alter EgoTM is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: 32 Bluebird Trail, St. Matthews, SC 29135, USA. Fax: (803) 826-6501; e-mail: roydann@ntinet.com. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Eight-issue subscriptions: $60 US, $85 Canada, $107 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. ISSN: 1932-6890 FIRST PRINTING.

writer/editorial

All In Color For A Crime

he past never changes—only the present’s way of perceiving it. And of presenting it.

With this issue, at the same time as our TwoMorrows sister magazine Back Issue, Alter Ego adds a touch of color to what has been, for 9000 or so pages, an ongoing black-&-white examination of the ironically named Golden and Silver Ages of Comic Books. Well… black-&-white except for the covers, which have always been in color. For that matter, so have the interior pages of late, if you’re a subscriber to the digital edition. Truth is, adding 16 color pages to A/E is both more and less than I personally wanted to see. Less, because ideally the entire mag would’ve been in cover-to-cover color from the start—so that Superman and Captain Marvel could’ve battled it out in primary colors, and Captain America been portrayed as the red, white, and blue Sentinel of Liberty, and Green Lama and Yellowjacket and Blue Bolt revealed why they carry those color-specific names. But more than I wanted, too—because I’ve relished spotlighting b&w reproductions of original comic art and unpublished pages and commissioned sketches. Color, for all its glory, can be a tyrant… tempting an editor to choose a mediocre color image rather than a more important black-&-white one. Besides, paradoxically, drawings intended to be printed in color can be more clearly viewed, in terms of an artist’s style, if no colors obscure his/her pencil or ink lines.

A/E… and we’re also bound and determined not to let King Color warp the magazine. We’ll present “special color sections” of 16 pages if the occasion readily presents itself… or we’ll let the rainbow hues start up in the middle of one article and vanish halfway through the following interview if to do otherwise would necessitate shortchanging the content of one or both. But we’re not trying to fool you. You can count. So you know that economic factors have dictated that, as we add color, we drop 16 pages of our previous page count. (At least half those, however, had been taken up each issue by our largely repetitious TwoMorrows “catalog,” which we now ask you to access online if you’re interested in buying back issues—and we sincerely hope you will be. So we’re actually losing only a handful of article/interview pages per issue.) And we’ve a truly—dare we say it?—colorful subject with which to inaugurate this new era: the first of several issues showcasing DC’s 19611986 “Earth-Two” crime-smashing capers that couldn’t be squeezed into our four fat volumes of The All-Star Companion. And squeeze we did have to, even here—to the extent that, though the aesthete in us would’ve preferred not to, we took to abbreviating “Earth-One” and “Earth-Two” as “E1” and “E2,” at least half the time. But hey—all that space we saved probably adds up to another art spot or two over the course of the issue! (Even though it's the super-informative George Kashdan interview, rather than the E2 section, that soaked up most of this issue's interior color.) And who knows—that extra art spot may be one of the ones that’s in color! Bestest,

So we’re patently pleased to add interior primaries and pastels to

COMING IN JUNE

EARTH-TWO—PART 2! The Twin-Earths Team-Ups—And George Kashdan—Just Keep On Coming! • Striking cover by JOE STATON & DICK GIORDANO—originally intended for All-Star Comics #75! • “Justice on Two Worlds—Part II!” Mr. & Mrs. Superman—Dr. Fate & Hourman— Starman & Black Canary—Power Girl & The Huntress—Batman & Robin—plus lots more, chronicled by MITCHELL & THOMAS! Amazing art and artifacts by ANDERSON * COLAN * GARCIA-LOPEZ * SIMONSON * GIFFEN * STATON * SCHAFFENBERGER * SWAN * BUCKLER * VOSBURG * DILLIN * APARO * NEWTON * NOVICK, et al.! • The second installment of the GEORGE KASHDAN interview, conducted by JIM AMASH—spotlighting his fellow Golden/Silver Age DC editors, not to mention ADAMS * CARDY * CERTA * DRAKE * FRADON * GRANDENETTI * HEATH * HERRON INFANTINO * KANE (both of ’em) * KIRBY * KUBERT * MOLDOFF * PAPP * PARIS PURCELL * ROUSSOS * SAMACHSON * SPRANG, & numerous others! • FCA with MARC SWAYZE & Nyoka the Jungle Girl * MICHAEL T. GILBERT with more on DOC WERTHAM * STEVE GERBER’s Crudzine—& MORE! Edited by ROY THOMAS

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Earth-Two: A Mini-History An Oracular Overview Of Twin Worlds According To Schwartz, Fox, Et Al., 1961-1986 by Kurt Mitchell A/E EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece has been abridged by the author from his longer article on the subject published in The All-Star Companion, Vol. 3 (2006). If [physicist Hugh Everett’s “many worlds” theory of wave function decoherence] is correct, then at this very instant your body coexists with the wave functions of dinosaurs engaged in mortal combat. Coexisting in the room you are in is the wave function of a world where the Germans won World War II, where aliens from outer space roam, where you were never born. — Michio Kaku, Parallel Worlds: A Journey through Creation, Higher Dimensions and the Future of the Cosmos (2005), page 169 Two objects can occupy the same space and time—if they vibrate at different speeds! My theory is, both Earths were created at the same time in two quite similar universes! They vibrate differently—which keeps them apart! Life, customs— even languages—evolved on your Earth almost exactly as they did on my Earth! — Barry Allen, The Flash #123 (1961), p. 4

hen DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz and writer Gardner Fox first introduced the parallel world they named Earth-Two, their goal was simply to tell an entertaining story (and sell a few hundred thousand comic books). If they were aware of Hugh Everett’s radical theory, quoted above, they may have wondered what all the fuss was about: parallel Earths had long been a staple of science-fiction and sf comics. Nevertheless, “Flash of Two Worlds” in 1961’s The Flash #123 was something special—so special that we’re still talking about Earth-Two nearly half a century after that seminal issue. The collective creative effort of some 180 different writers, artists, and editors, the original E2 cycle encompasses over 400 individual comic books published between 1961 and 1986. That’s a lot of history to take in. In this survey, therefore, we shall divide it into three overlapping periods imaginatively labeled Early, Middle, and Late. The Early Period (1961-75) is dominated by the editorial personality of Julius Schwartz. Reintroducing the Golden Age members of the Justice Society of America in his various super-hero titles, Schwartz laid out the basics of the multiple-Earths paradigm. The Justice League of America and other Silver Age super-heroes live on “Earth-One.” The JSA and other World War II-generation mystery-men live on “Earth-Two.” Some E1 characters—Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, et al.—have twins or “doppelgängers” on E2 (or is it vice versa?). Each world occupies the same space as the other but vibrates at a different frequency on the molecular level. There are an infinite number of such realities existing side by side. By altering their vibratory rate, people can cross from one to the other. If you understand these ground rules, you’ve just passed Multiple Earths 101. The seed had been planted in 1956’s Showcase #4, when nascent superhero Barry Allen borrowed his heroic alias from the 1940s Flash, whose comic book adventures he’d read as a boy. By this device, Schwartz (and scripter Robert Kanigher) acknowledged DC’s past even while making a clean break with it. Over the next five years, Schwartz and various collaborators similarly updated Green Lantern, Hawkman, The Atom, and the JSA itself, reconceived as the Justice League of

Parallel Whirls (Above:) Far as we can tell, the concept of parallel universes—at least as promulgated by a scientist—goes back to a physicist named Hugh Everett, who proposed it in 1957, though his theory took decades to be taken seriously by his peer group. But DC editor Julius Schwartz and writer Gardner Fox weren’t far behind Everett, at least in pop-culture terms, with their “Flash of Two Worlds” epic in The Flash #123 (Sept. 1961). Here, Julie and Gar are seen in the first panel from the classic “The Strange Adventure That Really Happened!” in Strange Adventures #140 (May 1962); thanks to Bill Schelly. (Left:) A reprinting of “Flash of Two Worlds” was to have been featured in the premier issue of a title called Demand Classics (Oct.-Nov. 1978). A cover was duly penciled by Dick Dillin and inked by Frank McLaughlin, as an homage-with-a-difference to the ’61 original by Carmine Infantino & Murphy Anderson, which can be seen on p. 6. This less-than-perfect reproduction of the Demand Classics #1 cover saw print in the newszine The Comic Reader #158 (July ’78)… but the projected comic fell victim to that era’s infamous “DC Implosion” and was never published. Thanks to Jim Van Dore for sending us this scan. [©2010 DC Comics.]

Justice On Two Worlds The Other Earth-Two Stories – Issue by Issue, 1961-1986 Part I Of A Companion Feature To The All-Star Companion, Vol. 1-4 by Kurt Mitchell A/E EDITOR’S NOTE: The four volumes of TwoMorrows’ All-Star Companion series, edited by Yours Truly, dealt with not only the 1940-1951 history of “The Justice Society of America” in All-Star Comics (including the members’ solo tales during that era), but also with the JLA/JSA team-ups of 1963-85, with the latter-’70s “JSA” feature, and with DC comics series set in whole or in part on EarthTwo, such as All-Star Squadron, Infinity, Inc., and Secret Origins (as well as the post-E2 The Young All-Stars). That, however, still left uncovered a number of E2 stories of the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths decades. In this article, Kurt Mitchell has recorded pertinent information concerning each of those series, character by character… a listing long enough that it will need to be continued in next month’s A/E and beyond. By and large, Ye Ed has been content to work with Kurt on choosing the illustrating artwork, to write the accompanying captions, and to shoehorn a few words into the narrative where it seemed appropriate. We commence with…

THE FLASH

t all started with the Fastest Man Alive.

The Golden Age Flash was the first Earth-Two super-hero that readers of the late 1950s would meet. Middle-aged, married, a respected research chemist and businessman, Jay Garrick was the very picture of contented domesticity, his days as a costumed crimefighter behind him. Yet it took only a nudge from his young Earth-One counterpart in The Flash #123 (Sept. 1961) to bring the original Scarlet Speedster out of retirement, beginning a chain of events that over the next two years would lead to the return of the entire Justice Society of America. Hawkman may have been chairman of the JSA, but The Flash was its heart: ever the most amiable of

Carmine Of Two Worlds Back on our contents page, we promised you the full story behind this issue’s cosmic cover, and here it is: As you surely already know, Carmine Infantino (on the right in the photo below) penciled the cover of the very first full-fledged Earth-Two tale (“Flash of Two Worlds” in 1961’s The Flash #123)—so we truly feel honored that, though he draws very little nowadays, this legendary artist consented to pencil a multi-hero version of that classic illustration for this mag. ’Twas tricky for Ye Ed to decide precisely whom to depict on the opposite sides of that brick wall. The Silver Age Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, and Atom were inevitable on the “Earth-One” side—with The Spectre added because he was the final Earth-Two hero to be revived as a solo star, in one form or another, by editor Julius Schwartz. (Besides, the Ghostly Guardian would have no trouble crisscrossing between those twin worlds.) On the other side, just as inevitably, are the E2 Flash and Green Lantern—and, though the E2 Hawkman would’ve been visually repetitious, the Golden Age Atom would’ve fit in, certainly—but we asked Carmine instead to show the E2 Superman and Wonder Woman, each of whom starred for a time in a solo series set in that world. As for the substitution of Julie Schwartz and writer Gardner Fox for that single, faceless, falling-girder-menaced workman on the cover of Flash #123—that, too, was a natural choice! Thanks, Carmine—and Roy, who’s been a major Infantino fan since that July 1956 day he purchased Showcase #4 at Fulenweider’s Drugstore in Jackson, Missouri, will always treasure your original pencils (seen above) for the drawing, which now hang proudly on a wall in the Thomases’ home. [Heroes TM & ©2010 DC Comics; other art ©2010 Carmine Infantino.] Oh—and the photo, taken a few years back at a comics convention in New York City, shows Carmine and Roy talking over those 1960s-70s days when they were respectfully competing on the newsstand. Our thanks to the picture-taker, whose name somehow got detached from the scan.

Justice On Two Worlds — Part I

mystery-men, his level head and gentle sense of humor anchored the group through all its Silver and Bronze Age incarnations. Perhaps that explains why, compared to virtually all his teammates, there were no lifechanging events or big emotional upheavals visited on him by the creative personnel who handled the character during those years. Aside from his revealing his secret identity to the public in the mid-’70s (an event first mentioned in the 1978 Flash Spectacular, a.k.a. DC Special Series #11), the E2 Flash of 1986 was the same centered presence he had been at his reintroduction in 1961.

later appearances but never allowed to overwhelm either hero or story.

One of the hero’s greatest contributions to E2 lore was his rogues’ gallery, including The Fiddler, The Shade, The Thinker (all reintroduced in The Flash #123), The Turtle (Flash #201), The Rag Doll (Flash #229), The Thorn (All-Star Comics #72), and even Flash Comics #1’s Sieur Satan (All-Star Squadron Annual #3).

Such matters were irrelevant to The Flash’s many appearances in which he was depicted in his Golden Age prime, notably in DC Special #29’s “JSA” origin (Aug.-Sept. 1977), a two-part team-up with the Amazing Amazon in Wonder Woman #239-40 (Jan.-Feb. 1978) during which he posed as his own Nazi counterpart, and throughout the run of the World War II-set All-Star Squadron, which featured a one-sided rivalry between Flash and his insecure Squadron teammate Johnny Quick. He would continue to be a major player with the JSA throughout the back-to-backto-back traumas of America vs. the Justice Society, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and Last Days of the Justice Society Special, surviving the eradication of Earth-Two only to be exiled, along with the rest of the JSA, to a Ragnarokian realm to help forestall the Twilight of the Gods, never to return.

Surprisingly, despite his recurrent appearances in The Flash and in the annual JLA/JSA crossovers in Justice League of America, Jay Garrick got only one shot at solo stardom: a back-up story in The Flash #201 (Nov. 1970) by Robert Kanigher and Murphy Anderson which established Garrick’s fear that age was eroding his super-speed, a theme touched on in

“Never” lasted all of six years. The JSA returned in 1992’s Armageddon Inferno mini-series. The Scarlet Speedster has remained a mainstay of the DC Universe ever since, as both elder statesman of a reinvigorated JSA and as avuncular mentor to Wally West, the post-Crisis Flash. It looks as though the Golden Age Flash has many more miles of road left to run….

THE FLASH #123 (Sept. 1961) COVER: Carmine Infantino (p) & Murphy Anderson (i) STORY: “Flash of Two Worlds!” – 25 pp. WRITER: Gardner Fox ARTISTS: Carmine Infantino (p) & Joe Giella (i) SYNOPSIS: The E1 Flash accidentally vibrates himself into a parallel universe, where Jay Garrick, the 1940s Flash, lives in retirement. The speedsters team up to capture E2 villains The Fiddler, The Shade, and The Thinker. Jay decides to resume his Flash career. Note Infantino’s autograph on the cover of Bob Bailey’s copy of The Flash #123. [©2010 DC Comics.]

NOTE:

• Jay Garrick is married to his Golden Age girlfriend, Joan Williams, and heads Garrick Laboratories, a chemical research company.

“I Graduated From Plato And Aristotle To Superman And Batman” DC Golden/Silver Age Editor GEORGE KASHDAN Rattles A Few Skeletons In The DC Closet

Interview Conducted by Jim Amash

Transcribed by Brian K. Morris

eorge Kashdan (1928-2006) was a writer and editor for DC Comics from 1947 until sometime in the 1970s, and finished his comic book career with Western Publishing. At both companies, he dealt with many major DC characters, including Batman, Superman, Tomahawk, Blackhawk, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Teen Titans, Sea Devils, and Metamorpho, among others. When some of those DC heroes became Saturday morning cartoon features, George also wrote them for Filmation.

While many Golden and Silver editors have given interviews over the course of time, George was the only one who really opened up about what it was like to work in the DC offices. His takes on many of the people with whom he worked are surprisingly blunt, and, at times, unflattering. Originally, he was a bit hesitant to talk about individual personalities in detail; but when former DC romance editor Phyllis Reed passed away during the course of my interviewing him, he changed his mind. What he tried to do was to give me an honest look into the

private side of those who made the comics. I know he held back some stories from me, as was his right, but I also know that, as the sole surviving DC editor of his era, he felt a moral responsibility to relate—from his point of view—an honest oral history of the company and the people whom he knew. As I was listening to him telling these stories, I seldom detected malice in his voice. Some of his observations may lead you to think otherwise, because we can’t reproduce vocal inflection with cold type. But I got to know him well in his final days, and I never thought he was settling old scores or wanting to hurt anyone. I asked him for honest assessments, and he did his best to co-operate.

“Do You, Mera, Take This Aquaman…?” George Kashdan (right), in a driver’slicense photo circa the 1980s… and the cover of Showcase Presents Aquaman, Vol. 2 (2008). All or nearly all of the stories in that 528-page volume were edited by George between 1962 and ’65. At various times, he also wrote and/or edited the four-color adventures of several other DC heroes depicted by Nick Cardy in this cover drawing done for Aquaman #18 (Nov.-Dec. 1964), including Superman, Batman, Hawkman, and Green Arrow. [Aquaman art ©2010 DC Comics.]

It was not easy for George to do this. He was a bedridden stroke victim, paralyzed on his left side, who often had trouble formulating words and phrases. At many times he spoke haltingly, with long pauses between words and sentences, which led to occasional disjointedness in his answers, as he pushed his mind and body to talk to me. We did this interview over the course of many sessions—some as short as three minutes. George called me as often as I called him. “We need to finish this. It’s important that I tell these stories so the history won’t be lost,” he said more than once, believing he was going to get better, but fearing death was around the corner. “I suppose some of what I say may not sit well with some people, but this is how I saw it.” —Jim.

“The Opportunity To Write Comics Presented Itself” JIM AMASH: When and where were you born, George? GEORGE KASHDAN: In the Bronx, New York City, on May 1928. JA: Did you buy comics as a kid? KASHDAN: Oh, yes. I liked “Superman” very much, and “Batman.” JA: In 1941, you were a prize-winner in a Superman contest. Tell me about it. KASHDAN: It was a matter of taking some pictures of

“I Graduated From Plato And Aristotle To Superman And Batman”

The Magician And The Mariners Above are late-’40s splash pages from four series that Kashdan wrote early in his career, though he probably didn’t write all of these particular entries. (a) “Zatara” from Action Comics #136 (Sept. 1949)—with the mustachioed Mandrake wannabe reciting one of his patented “backward spells,” with art by Joe Kubert. Scripter unknown. Thanks to Jim Ludwig. (b) Sometime “Robotman” and “Human Torch” artist Jimmy Thompson drew this “Captain Compass” from Star Spangled Comics #84 (Sept. 1948). Scripter unknown. Sent by Tony Oliva. (c) This "Boy Commandos" story from Detective Comics #130 (Dec. 1947) is credited in the online Grand Comics Database to George K.—though there's no way to verify that now. Pencils attributed to Curt Swan, inks to Steve Brodie. Thanks to Bruce Mason. (d) The “Aquaman” script for Adventure Comics #145 (Oct. 1949) is credited by the GCD to Otto Binder, who in those days was also writing heavily for Fawcett’s “Captain Marvel”-related mags; art by John Daly. [©2010 DC Comics.]

DC Golden/Silver Age Editor George Kashdan Rattles A Few Skeletons In The DC Closet

Teen-Time George Kashdan’s long career as both editor and writer lasted through the early 1980s. Offered for your consideration: Nick Cardy’s title splash for the Kashdan-edited Teen Titans #4 (July-Aug. 1966)… and a page from the GKscripted tale “The Righteous Ones” in Time Warp #1 (Oct.-Nov. 1979), as illustrated by Dick Giordano. You’ll see more of both comics—and a whole lot besides—in the next two issues of Alter Ego! [©2010 DC Comics.]

steal ideas. I remember, one lunch hour, we were walking past a theatre that had some adventure classic translated into movies. He said, “Let’s stop here and see what we can steal from the stills.” If he saw a picture he liked, that would be the splash for another “Superman” story. JA: Did he have any hobbies? What did he do besides his editing job? KASHDAN: He did a lot of writing. As I told you, he wrote a lot of articles. He once wrote a romanticized version of Alex Lewitt’s successes, and Lewitt liked it. I don’t know whether Mort wrote it himself or not, but Lewitt liked the article so much that he became a buddy of Mort’s, and invited him to a party at his home in Great Neck, which is a millionaire community. JA: Mort did marry and have children. Did that change him at all? KASHDAN: He certainly gave the impression of being a dedicated father and husband. He had a fierce temper, which he often let out on his wife. Jerry Coleman told me a story of how Mort invited him out to his fancy home in Great Neck. When it was time for Jerry to leave, he asked, “What’s the best way for me to get back to Brooklyn?“ Mort’s wife Thelma started explaining, and apparently made one mistake. Jerry said Mort started shouting at her, and humiliated her in the presence of his guests there.

Jerry was a high school English teacher. He smoked himself to death. Emphysema. Jerry used to talk about how Mort said to him, “Why are you wasting your time teaching? You can make so much money in comics. I’ll give you plots. You just come in once or twice a week, and I’ll keep you busy.” He talked Jerry into trying that, so Jerry took a sabbatical from his teaching job, and he called Mort and said, “I’ve taken your advice and quit teaching for a while.” So one morning, Jerry came in and Mort said to him, “I used to be in your power, now you’re in my power!” That was a typical sadistic crack of Mort’s. JA: Where was Jerry teaching? KASHDAN: In Madison High School in Brooklyn. He was a very scholarly man. A good writer. He wrote for me, too, and gave me some nice stories for House of Mystery, and science-fiction for Tales of the Unexpected. He had an inventive mind. He had a mustache, and he looked like a worried man. His forehead was always wrinkled. But when he sat around with the boys and relaxed, he was good company. He could talk literature and poetry, and Shakespeare. He had a good sense of humor. Jim Amash’s interview with George Kashdan will be continued in A/E #94.

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!

The Truth About Comic Books!! by Michael T. Gilbert

ack in July 2000, loyal Mr. Monster fan Kevin McConnell mailed me this fascinating mid-1950s anti-comics pamphlet, written by Ruth I. Johnson. Pretty neat cover, no?

Johnson’s piece was inspired by a November 1953 Ladies’ Home Journal article by Dr. Fredric Wertham entitled “What Parents Don’t Know!“ (Wertham’s most famous tome, Seduction of the Innocent, would be published the following year.) It also referenced Poison Peddling!, a book from the Van Kampen Press. These articles (and many others) encouraged American parents to burn little Jimmy’s precious comic collection, while The Truth about Comic Books added even more fuel to the fire. The tiny 3½” x 6¼” religious pamphlet, reminiscent of Jack Chick’s religious minicomics, claims to tell the “truth” about comic books. So, does it? I could tell you, but how fun is that? Instead, we’ll present the evidence and let YOU decide!

The Truth About Comic Books!!

Murder, She Shoots! (Top of this page, top of opposite page, & following:) Because The Truth about Comic Books was never copyrighted, Ye Olde Crypt is reprinting its actual (numbered) pages. We’ve added related illustrations at the bottoms of those pages to underscore pointed related to the text, from our own perspective. For example… (Left & right, on this page:) Fredric Wertham’s 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent claimed that comic books taught children how to commit crimes. As Fox Comics’ Murder Incorporated #1 (Jan. 1948) demonstrates, nothing could be further from the truth. After all, it says “Living Proof That Crime Never Pays!” right there on the cover! [Art ©2010 the respective copyright holders.]

THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMIC FANDOM

SENSE OF WONDER

THE BEST OF STARSTUDDED COMICS

THE EYE COLLECTION

FANDOM’S FINEST COMICS

The history of comicdom told through informative text with lots of photos and artwork. Rare vintage art by JACK KIRBY, DAVE STEVENS, JIM STERANKO, STEVE DITKO, FRANK MILLER and more. Intro by ROY THOMAS. Eisner Award nominee in 1996. (176-page trace paperback) Was $17.95, NOW $14.00!

Subtitled “A Life in Comic Fandom,” this is Bill’s reminiscences of his time as a fan and fanzine publisher from 1965 to 1972, recounting his encounters with such pros as STEVE DITKO, BOB KANE, and JULIUS SCHWARTZ. With art by DICK GIORDANO, JACK KIRBY and MIKE ALLRED. (216-page 6” x 9” trade paperback) Was $15.95, NOW $12.00!

Compiles the best complete comic strips from the classic fanzine (and a few of its competitors), including exciting work by ROY THOMAS, SAM GRAINGER, LANDON CHESNEY, GRASS GREEN, BILJO WHITE, JIM STARLIN and THE TEXAS TRIO. Plus 40 pages of special features written by Bill. (256-page trade paperback) Was $25.00, NOW $18.00!

Features the ALL-NEW 26pg “Untold Origin of The Eye!” by BILL SCHELLY, RON FRENZ and JOE RUBENSTEIN. With text features on The Eye, reprints of strips by BILJO WHITE, plus work by JERRY ORDWAY, ROY THOMAS, DICK GIORDANO, BILL BLACK, BATTON LASH, MICHAEL T. GILBERT, more. (144-page trade paperback) Was $13.95, NOW $8.00!

A spectacular collection of the best complete comic strips from the classic fanzines of the 1960s, by R. CRUMB, ROGER BRAND, JEFF JONES, LANDON CHESNEY, ALAN WEISS, RONN FOSS, GRASS GREEN, BILJO WHITE, ALAN HANLEY, ROY THOMAS and more. Text features by Bill. (256-page trade paperback) Was $17.95, NOW $12.00!

FIVE GREAT BOOKS FROM BILL SCHELLY — AT DISCOUNT PRICES! (All prices include postage.) Order through Paypal at: HamstrPres@aol.com, or send Check or Money Order to: BILL SCHELLY, P.O. BOX 27471, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, 98165

Advertise With Us! ALTER EGO! • BACK ISSUE! • DRAW! (please inquire for BrickJournal rates) COVERS: 8.375" Wide x 10.875" Tall (plus 1/8" bleed all around) FULL-PAGE: 7.5" Wide x 10" Tall HALF-PAGE: 7.5" Wide x 4.875" Tall QUARTER-PAGE: 3.75" Wide x 4.875"

These rates are for ads supplied on-disk (PDF, JPEG, TIF, EPS, or Quark Xpress files acceptable). No agency discounts apply. Display ads are not available for the Jack Kirby Collector.

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Send ad copy and payment (US funds) to: TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Dr. • Raleigh, NC 27614 919-449-0344 • fax 919-449-0327 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com

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“Who Reads The Magazine Comics?” Fawcett’s Mid-’40s Research Of Readers

“L

by P.C. Hamerlinck

argest Circulation of Any Comic Magazine” was distinctly proclaimed on Captain Marvel Adventures cover corner logos during much of the 1940s. That somewhat accurate spatter of hyperbole was orchestrated by Fawcett Publication’s circulation manager, Roscoe K. Fawcett.

It was twelve years ago on a crisp autumn Saturday afternoon. I found myself in the den of Captain Billy’s youngest son, thumbing through his mass collection of bound volumes of ancient inter-company marketing magazines and brochures, such as Fawcett Distributor and others. Roscoe pointed out to me in the periodicals various sales charts, research studies, and circulation figures—all with a gleaming sense of pride and accomplishment.

On the front cover, Beck depicted a large, diverse group of children and adults gathered together to read a giant copy of Captain Marvel Adventures #33 (March 1944). The booklet opens with a Beck one-page specialty strip (“Captain Marvel Turns Research Expert and Finds Out Who Reads the Comics”), in which the World’s Mightiest Mortal pays a visit to the Fawcett Publications and the office of advertising director Elliot Odell. (Those of us ardent enough to have studied the indicia inside Fawcett’s comic books—that postal paragraph at the bottom of the first printed page, or sometimes the inside front cover—will be familiar with Odell’s name.) Cap, while holding issues of Whiz Comics and Captain Marvel Adventures, cites the numerous Captain Marvel Clubs nationwide, and

Like the publications shown to me by Roscoe, another analogous Fawcett objet d’art was unearthed last year in a Hake’s Americana auction. Entitled Who Reads the Magazine Comics? (they’re never referred to as “comic books” in the investigation), the red-plastic comb-bound, 36-page, duo-colored booklet delineates a study presented by Fawcett’s Market Research Department, dated January 1944. The special publication’s exclusive illustrations and charts are drawn by none other than Captain Marvel cocreator and chief artist C.C. Beck.

hankers to know just “who reads the comics?” before Odell sends him out with questionnaires to find out the answer. The extremely limited-distributed booklet goes on to include a survey revealing that a staggering 72% of homes at the time were filled with comic book readers. Further findings are broken down according to age groups, sex, and by readers in the armed forces. The heavily researched study also divulges the averages of comic books read per month, the economic status of readers, their education, employment, and so forth. Beck’s lucid layouts and chirpy specialty spot drawings of Captain Marvel exhibit the content in a hearty manner—with scenes of Cap filling out surveys and watching young fellows trade comic magazines… all during his mission to learn who’s reading the scores of four-colored narratives.

Roscoe In Full Accord Joe Katzev, owner of the Sunset News Co., Los Angeles, looks over an array of Fawcett product (including Magazine Digest, Motion Picture, and True Confessions) with Fawcett Publications’ Vice President and Circulation Director Roscoe K. Fawcett, in a photo from Fawcett Distributor (“Published in the Interest of Independent Magazine Wholesalers and Dealers”), Sept. 1944 issue. FCA editor P.C. Hamerlinck visited and interviewed Roscoe Fawcett in 1998 (a year before his death), where he perused bound volumes of Fawcett Distributor in Mr. Fawcett’s library. When this snapshot was taken, Roscoe had just transferred to the West Coast from previously being stationed at Camp Stewart, Georgia, during World War II.