Issuu

Roy Thomas’ Second Earth-Two Comics Fanzine

PLUS:

7.95

In the USA

No.94 June 2010

82658 27763

t Ar

cs mi Co C 0D 01 ©2

Vol. 3, No. 94 / June 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 Joe Staton (pencils) & Dick Giordano (inks)

NOW WITH 16 PAG ES OF COLOR!

Cover Colorist Tom Ziuko

With Special Thanks to: Jack Adler Brent Anderson Heidi Amash Brian H. Baile Bob Bailey Mike W. Barr Kurt Busiek Brian H. Bailie Jim Beard Pieter A. Bell Dominic Bongo Mike Burkey Glen Cadigan R. Dewey Cassell Bob Cherry Arthur Chertowsky Ron Chevrier Robert Connelly Jeff Dell Michaël Dewally Roger Dicken & Wendy Hunt Betty Dobson Michael Dunne Greg Fischer Shane Foley Stephan Friedt Dave Gibbons Janet Gilbert Don Glut Golden Age Comic Book Stories Grand Comics Database Jim Gray Walt Grogan George Hagenauer

Matt Haley Jennifer Hamerlinck Heritage Comics Archives Larry Kashdan Dr. Jeffrey J. Kripal Joe Latino Bob Layton Paul Levitz Jim Ludwig Dan Makara Bill Marimon Neil McEwan Kurt Mitchell William Mitchell Brian K. Morris Will Murray Ken Nadle Fred Patten Gene Reed Bob Rivard Ed Savage M. Scott David Siegel Joe Staton Desha Swayze Marc Swayze Jeff Taylor Dann Thomas Anthony Tollin Jim Van Dore Neil Vokes Delmo Walters, Jr. Ron Webber Ike Wilson Alex Wright Michael Zeno

This issue is dedicated to the memory of

Dick Giordano & George Tuska

Contents Writer/Editorial: “Thank You... And Good Afternoon” . . . . . . 2 Justice On Two Worlds – Part II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The Justice Society of America and friends—Earth-Two, 1961-1986

“Sales Don’t Tell You Everything!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 More of Jim Amash’s talks with Golden & Silver Age DC editor & writer George Kashdan.

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt! Doc Wertham’s Straight Talk About Comix! – Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Michael T. Gilbert with more pithy (yeth, aren’t they?) quotes from the good (?) doctor.

Tribute To George Tuska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 re: [correspondence, comments, & corrections] . . . . . . . . . 70 FCA [Fawcett Collectors Of America] #152 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 P.C. Hamerlinck goes on safari with Marc Swayze and Nyoka the Jungle Girl. On Our Cover: This drawing by Joe Staton (pencils) and Dick Giordano (inks) was originally done to be the cover of All-Star Comics #75—only there was no such animal, so it became instead the splash page of the “Justice Society” story in Adventure Comics #462 (March-April 1979). Now, at last, it becomes a cover, as it was always meant to be. Thanks to Brian H. Bailie for a photocopy of the original art. [©2010 DC Comics.] Above: The Ramona Fradon/Charles Paris cover for The Brave and the Bold #58 (Feb.-March 1965), the second appearance of “Metamorpho”—which was scripted by Bob Haney. Both editor George Kashdan (who doubtless wrote the cover copy) and Silver Age readers rank this series as one of GK’s foremost achievements. Read more about it this issue! Thanks to Stephan Friedt. [©2010 DC Comics.] 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

“Thank You... And Good Afternoon” D

longtime assistant and friend, who was there in that Florida hospital with him till the end.

ick Giordano left us on Saturday morning, March 27, 2010.

As I write these words, that’s not quite two weeks ago… so the full impact of his passing hasn’t really sunk in yet. His name’s still in my e-address file. And, since we were both charter members of the disbursing board of the comics charity Hero Initiative, messages sent out by HI administrators still list his e-address in the “cc:” line. Guess I’m not the only one who wants to go on thinking of Dick as alive and vibrant at the other end of cyberspace, ready to greet us with the digital equivalent of that warm and familiar smile.

Dick Giordano (on right) and Roy Thomas the last time they got together—on a panel at the June 2009 Heroes Con in Charlotte, North Carolina. The subject, fittingly enough, was Charlton Comics in the 1960s. Thanks to Michael Dunne.

I first met Dick in 1965, soon after I went to work for Marvel. A few months earlier, I’d written two stories longdistance for Charlton, and since then Dick had become that company’s editor, so we both figured we should meet. After that lunch, we stayed in touch for the next 45 years. If it was never a close friendship, it was a good, solid, mutually respectful one. And it meant a great deal to me. During the two weeks he lay in the hospital, brought low at last by his leukemia, and at a time when I still dared believe, or at least hope, that he’d come out again, I finally started planning for a Giordano issue of A/E I’d held off doing mostly because of Michael Eury’s 2003 book Dick Giordano: Changing Comics, One Day at a Time. (Just as I’d delayed a George Tuska issue because of his TwoMorrows tome… and I’d only recently scheduled an A/E dedicated to him, as well.)

Only an hour or so later, by one of those coincidences that happen in real life as well as in the movies, I received an e-mail from Mark Beazley, the Marvel editor who’d brought Dick and me back together in 2004 to finish the 180-page, black-&-white adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula that we’d half-completed three decades earlier. Mark informed me that, just as we’d been suggesting they do, Marvel was going to reissue our Dracula dream project in color. Dick would never know about that… or if he does, then we won’t know that he knows.

But that’s okay. Dick left behind him an entire cornucopia of artistic and editorial accomplishments. A color Dracula will merely be the cherry on the top, though one he would have welcomed. Somewhere, if he does know… and I’d like to think he does… Dick Giordano is smiling. So what else is new? As Dick would’ve said… and as I don’t think he’d mind my saying in his stead just this once… Thank you and good afternoon,

But then, I received the dreaded e-mail from Pat Bastienne, Dick’s

COMING IN JULY

WHO SAYS A COMIC BOOK HAS TO BE GOOD? NOT MARIE SEVERIN—AND

NOT BRAND ECHH! • Cover by MARIE SEVERIN, the spirit of Marvel’s 1967-69 super-hero parody mag! • Frantic focus on NOT BRAND ECHH—not to mention Spidey-Man! Gnatman & Rotten! The Fantastical Four! B.L.U.N.D.E.R. Agents! Ironed Man! Stuporman! The Echhs-Men! Aqualung-Man! The Sunk-Mariner! Wotta Woman! The Inedible Bulk!—toasted by the talents of ANDRU * COLAN * DRAKE * EVERETT FRIEDRICH * KIRBY * LEE * The SEVERIN Siblings * SPRINGER * SUTTON THOMAS * VERPOORTEN, et al.! Plus an interview with MARIE her own self! • The cataclysmic conclusion of our amazingy informative GEORGE KASHDAN interview! (JIM AMASH says we ain’t seen nuthin’ yet!) • Plus FCA with MARC SWAYZE & Mary Marvel in the Shazam! cartoons— MICHAEL T. GILBERT with more twice-told EC—STEVE GERBER’s twice-delayed “Crudzine”—& MORE!! Edited by ROY THOMAS Art ©2010 Marie Severin

SUBSCRIBE NOW! Eight issues in the US: $60 Standard, $80 First Class (Canada: $85, Elsewhere: $107 Surface, $155 Airmail). NEW LOWER RATES FOR INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS! SAVE $4 PER ISSUE!

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

Justice On Two Worlds – Part II The Justice Society Of America And Friends — Earth-Two, 1961-1985 by Kurt Mitchell

Annotated by Kurt Mitchell & Roy Thomas

A/E

EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION: In 2007, The All-Star Companion, Vol. 3, showcased the JSA as featured in the JLA/JSA team-ups of 1963-85 and in the “Justice Society” series featured in 1970s All-Star Comics and Adventure Comics, set on the “Earth-Two” created in 1961 by DC editor Julius Schwartz and writer Gardner Fox for The Flash #123. The previous issue of Alter Ego, in turn, gave a bird’s-eye view of E2 history and spotlighted the non-group adventures of the E2 Flash, Green Lantern, Atom, Spectre, and (most of) Wonder Woman, as featured from 1961 until the time when Earths-One, -Two, -Three, -X, -Shazam, et al., were swept away by the cosmic (if arguably unnecessary) events of the Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series of 1985-86. This time around, we examine, on an issue-by-issue basis, the remaining JSAers and a couple of related heroes. So, with or without further ado… except to note that, once again, to save a bit of space, we often use the abbreviations “E1” and “E2”—terms such as ASCV1, -2, -3, and -4 to refer to the four volumes of the All-Star Companion series of books—and “JLA” as short for the Justice League of America comic book, with no relation to the actuallynamed JLA comic that only debuted in 1997….

“Crisis En Tierra-Dos” In any language, together or separately, the JSA and JLA meant business… as a sextet of super-villains from two worlds discovered in Mexico’s Batman #239. That 1960s weekly comic, as detailed in Fred Patten’s coverage of south-of-the-border supermen in A/E #43, alternated between adventures of Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, and the Justice League of America (“Campeones de la Justicia,” literally “Champions of Justice”). Issue #239 reprinted and translated JLA #22 (Sept. 1963), the conclusion of the first JLA/JSA team-up. This panel, also depicting the JSA/Defensores de la Justicia (Defenders of Justice), was scripted (in English) by Gardner Fox, penciled by Mike Sekowsky, inked by Bernard Sachs, and edited by Julius Schwartz—the man who’d co-created the concept of Earth-Two with Fox in 1961’s The Flash #123. Julie’s seen at top left in a drawing from a “Behind the Scenes” page. Thanks to Fred Patten for the Spanish-language mag. [©2010 DC Comics.]

WONDER WOMAN (Cont’d) NOTE: Last issue, due to limitations of space, we had to interrupt our coverage of the “Wonder Woman” series of 1977-78, which spotlighted the World War II adventures of the E2 daughter of Hippolyte, in order to gain from the 1940s setting of the first season of the popular Wonder Woman TV show starring Lynda Carter. In A/E #93 we dealt with WW #228-242, the 1978 Wonder Woman Spectacular (a.k.a. DC Special Series #9), and WW #300, in which the Dianas of the two Earths met again in the 1980s. It was left for this issue to deal with the “WW” series which appeared in the 80-page World’s Finest Comics of ’77-’78, although some general notes on the WFC stories were given last time.

WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #244 (Apr.-May 1977) COVER: Neal Adams STORY: “Jeopardy—Times Two!” – 15 pp. WRITER: Denny O’Neil ARTISTS: José Delbo (p) & Vince Colletta (i) SYNOPSIS: Sometime during or after 1943, Diana Prince learns that General Blankenship is an imposter. Following his trail, Wonder Woman rescues the real Blankenship from Nazi master of disguise Ludwig Von Schmeer.

Double Jeopardy (Right:) The E2 Wonder Woman was seen on the covers of the multi-feature World’s Finest Comics #244-249 only via a recurring head shot drawn by Neal Adams—but this powerful splash page in #244 introduced her series in that extra-length title, whose cover headliners were usually Superman and Batman. Thanks to Betty Dobson for the scan. [©2010 DC Comics.]

The JSA And Friends—Earth-Two, 1961-1985

WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #245 (June-July 1977) COVER: Neal Adams STORY: “Hell on Skiis” – 15 pp. WRITER: Gerry Conway ARTISTS: James Sherman (p) & Bob Wiacek (i)

When You’re Reich, You’re Reich! Iron Claw sure looks an awful lot like another of Diana’s foes, Armageddon—who’d appeared in Wonder Woman #233 only a month earlier, as seen in our previous issue! Thanks to Betty Dobson. [©2010 DC Comics.]

SYNOPSIS: In spring of 1942, Wonder Woman invades Schloss Falke, a Nazi command post, to rescue a captive Steve Trevor. The castle’s commandant, The Iron Claw, captures her with her own magic lasso. Unaware he must maintain his grip on the rope to maintain his control, he lets her get free and is accidentally electrocuted during the ensuing battle.

WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #246 (Aug.-Sept. 1977) COVER: Neal Adams STORY: “The Baron’s Name Is Blitzkreig!” – 15 pp. WRITER: Gerry Conway ARTISTS: Don Heck (p) & Vince Colletta (i) SYNOPSIS: In London, Wonder Woman tangles with a costumed Nazi assassin named Baron Blitzkrieg. She stops his first attempt—on General Sir Claude Auchinleck—but the Baron escapes. Picking up his trail, she is stymied when Blitzkreig makes hostages of Auchinleck and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. NOTES: • First appearance of future All-Star Squadron arch-foe Baron Blitzkreig, who would also reappear in the “Superman/ Wonder Woman” skirmish in All New Collectors’ Edition #7. • This story and the next occur in April 1942.

Blitz And The Brits Baron Blitzkrieg, introduced in World’s Finest #246, proved to be the major Amazon adversary originated during this “retro” period. Here he threatens British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and General Sir Claude Auchinleck, who was commander in chief of British forces in North Africa and the Near East in April 1942, when this story took place. Well, at least Winnie managed to keep smoking his trademark cigar! Thanks to Betty Dobson. [©2010 DC Comics.] Also seen are a photo of Gen. Auchinleck… and a drawing of Churchill from an English newspaper in 1941—part of an “advert” for a company that made locks! Thanks to Roger Dicken & Wendy Hunt.

Justice On Two Worlds—Part II

WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #247

WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #249

(Oct.-Nov. 1977)

(Feb.-Mar. 1978)

COVER: Neal Adams

STORY: “The Man in the Doomsday Mask!” – 15 pp.

STORY: “A Fire in the Sky!” – 15 pp.

WRITER: Gerry Conway

ARTISTS: Mike Vosburg (p) & Bob Smith (i)

ARTISTS: José Delbo (p) & Vince Colletta (i) SYNOPSIS: British commandos end Wonder Woman’s Mexican standoff with Baron Blitzkreig, who escapes with his hostages. She pursues them across Europe, unaware that Mlle. Marie and her partisans plan to blow up the troop train Blitzkreig commandeered. She persuades Marie to help her free Churchill and Auchinleck instead.

WRITER: Gerry Conway

SYNOPSIS: Wonder Woman frees Sgt. Rock from Dr. Psycho’s control, unaware that Allied High Command has ordered the carpet-bombing of Psycho’s base. The duo persuade the Krell’s leader that the aliens are on the wrong side. Psycho tries to kill them all with his ectoplasmic powers, until Diana severs his connection to medium Joan White. The Krell leave Earth, and everyone escapes before the bombs fall.

NOTE: • First appearance of the E2 Mlle. Marie, doppelgänger of the recurring DC warcomics heroine.

WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #250 (Apr.-May 1978) COVER: Jim Aparo

WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #248

STORY: “The Reality War!” – 56 pp.

(Dec. 1977-Jan. 1978)

WRITER: Gerry Conway

COVER: Neal Adams

ARTISTS: George Tuska (p) & Vince Colletta (i)

STORY: “The Amazon and the Rock!” – 15 pp. WRITER: Gerry Conway ARTISTS: Mike Vosburg (p) & Dick Giordano (i) SYNOPSIS: Wonder Woman teams with Sgt. Rock and Easy Company to investigate a missile attack on London. Dr. Psycho is helping the Nazis trick the extraterrestrial Krell into intervening in the war on the Axis side. Diana destroys the aliens’ missile factory. Psycho gains mental control of Rock and orders him to kill her.

SYNOPSIS: The E2 Wonder Woman, caught in a dimensional rift, helps four time-lost Justice Leaguers from E1—Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, Black Canary—battle a new Agent Axis and The Ravager of Time, a transformed physicist whose uncontrollable powers have altered E1’s future. The quintet defeat Axis and restore the Ravager to normal. Reality corrects

NOTE: • This story and that in #249 (as well as parts of #250) take place in August 1942.

Psychos, Spacemen, And Sergeants The two-part “Wonder Woman” story in World’s Finest #248-249 featured Dr. Psycho, the starspawned Krell—and Sgt. Rock, who apparently led nearly identical lives on Earths-One and -Two… except that the E2 version ran into an Amazon princess! The Krell claimed to be descended from the alien race introduced in “The Answer Man of Space,” a Gardner Fox-scripted story in Mystery in Space #73 (Feb. 1962)—although the aliens in the earlier tale had been called the “Krull” and had a different backstory. Wonder if the Krell/Krull were any relation to the lost Krell race in the classic 1956 science-fiction film Forbidden Planet! Thanks to Betty Dobson. [©2010 DC Comics.]

itself and Wonder Woman returns home, her memories of her inter-dimensional journey erased. NOTE: The “Superman vs. Wonder Woman” tabloid whose official title was All New Collectors’ Edition, Vol. 7, No. C-54 (1978), which also took place during World War II, will be covered on p. 23, in the “Superman” section. And, once again, we recommend you pick up a copy of our TwoMorrows sister mag Back Issue for a different approach to the 1977-78 “retro” period of Wonder Woman.

“Sales Don’t Tell You Everything!” Part II Of A Sprawling Interview With Golden & Silver Age DC Editor GEORGE KASHDAN Conducted by Jim Amash Transcribed by Brian K. Morris

NTRODUCTION: George Kashdan (1928-2006) was an editor and writer for National/DC Comics from 1947 till sometime in the 1970s, and finished his comic book career with Western Publishing. At both companies, he handled such major DC characters as Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Teen Titans, Sea Devils, Metamorpho, Tomahawk, and Blackhawk, among others. He later wrote several of the foregoing for Filmation TV animation, as well. At the time I contacted him, George was a bedridden stroke victim, paralyzed on his left side, who often had trouble formulating words and phrases. After an initial hesitation about being interviewed, and especially about discussing individuals, he changed his mind and, more than most Golden and Silver Age editors have done, opened up about what it was like to work in the DC offices. Sadly, he passed away before this interview could see print. In Part I, he spoke of how he came both to edit and write at DC, originally under managing editor Whitney Ellsworth, as an associate of veteran editors Jack Schiff, Mort Weisinger, Julius Schwartz, Murray Boltinoff, Bernie Breslauer, Robert Kanigher, et al. (Photos of these associates were printed last issue.) Largely without malice, George spoke of the personality clashes and office politics and other behind-the scenes matters he saw during of his quarter century in a DC editor’s chair…and he continues here….

“Siegel And Shuster Were A Pair of Naïve Kids” JIM AMASH: How would you handle it when you had to quit using a writer? GEORGE KASHDAN: We didn’t tell him that we thought his stories were bad, but that we’d been cautioned to keep costs down, to stop being so generous in our purchases of stories. That was a costly process. One excellent writer we had working for us, named Ryerson Johnson, wrote stories for our Westerns. When Roy Rogers was popular, DC bought rights to publish a magazine called Dale Evans, which Johnson wrote. He had a skill for Western-sounding dialogue and colorful side characters. He wrote “The Wyoming Kid” and stories for Western Comics. Some of his stories were

By George, I Think He’s Got It! George Kashdan and his wife Jacqueline (Jackie) in front of their Brooklyn home, probably in the early 1980s—flanked by vintage examples of work done by Kashdan wearing his two hats. With thanks to George's brother Larry for the photo. (Left:) Kashdan reportedly wrote this “Green Arrow” tale in Adventure Comics #137 (Feb. 1949); art by George Papp. (Below:) Ramona Fradon’s cover for the “Metamorpho” debut in The Brave and the Bold #57 (Dec. 1964-Jan. 1965); inks by Charles Paris. Kashdan said that, as editor, he dreamed up the concept; he considered that series, done originally with Ramona and writer Bob Haney, one of his proudest contributions to the wonderful world of comics. Thanks to Stephan Friedt. [Art ©2010 DC Comics.]

“Sales Don’t Tell You Everything!”

The Contest, about a Miss America-style pageant, reportedly ghosted primarily by William Woolfolk. —Jim.] JA: If Dave Stanley was Mort’s secret ghost, how did you find out about him? KASHDAN: These are all stories told by David Vern. You might want to call him, since he’s not alive to deny it. [mutual laughter]

Go Western, Young Man! For a little while in the late ’40s, comics companies saw cowboy comics as the next big thing. Kashdan reports that one Ryerson Johnson wrote scripts for Dale Evans Comics and the generically named Western Comics (featuring “The Wyoming Kid”), as per this house ad— reproduced from All-American Western #106 (Feb.-March 1949). [©2010 DC Comics.] (Above:) Magazine and comics writer W. Ryerson Johnson, who, according to pulp expert Anthony Tollin (who supplied this photo), wrote many a “Wyoming Kid,” “Dale Evans,” and even “Batman” yarn.

a little too adult, and very often, one of my jobs, when I first started there, was to trim it down for kids. He often required some heavy editing. Johnny, as we called him—not Ryerson—became a father at the age of fifty. He was commercially oriented, and, I think five years later, he wrote an article for either Parents Magazine or Collier’s titled “A Father at Fifty.” He showed how easy it was to be a father at that age. Johnny said his kid was very ill, and they didn’t know just how his chances of survival were. He was a sweet little man, very friendly and dependable. While he was with us, he sold an excellent story to, I believe, The Saturday Evening Post.

JA: Sounds like Dave Vern could have been his own book. In the late ’40s, Siegel and Shuster sue, and they’re out of a job. But in 1958, Jerry Siegel came back to DC to write “Superman.” KASHDAN: Siegel settled the case with DC, and they acknowledged that they owed him some money, and he came back to work. He was friendly with Liebowitz and Mort Weisinger and Jack Schiff. Jack Schiff was sympathetic to the hardworking artists and writers. He felt Siegel and Shuster never had a case. I never talked to him about it, but he felt they made an agreement, and they had to stick to it. They turned “Superman” over [to DC]. It wasn’t as if Liebowitz stole it from them. When they sold “Superman,” or agreed to write it for higher page rates, what they needed was a lawyer who’d say to Liebowitz, “Wait a minute there, what about a little partnership for my clients, or a royalties agreement?”

JA: Do you think they deserved anything for creating Superman? KASHDAN: Oh, sure. Siegel and Shuster were a pair of naïve kids when

You remember we had a Western character called “Vigilante”? Jack Schiff disapproved of that character. He hated the idea of making vigilantism sound romantic. JA: I understand “Vigilante” was created by Mort Weisinger. KASHDAN: I doubt if it was Mort. Do you remember a character from one of our competitors? He was called The Sub-Mariner. Well, Aquaman was DC’s answer to Sub-Mariner. Sub-Mariner was an enemy of airbreathers. Mort [may have created] Aquaman. Now, Mort had an obsession. He belonged to a writer’s club, and he said at that time that they gave some kind of a prize for the most novel fornication scene, and he couldn’t think of one. There’s a story told by Dave Stanley: Mort asked David to write him a novel scene, and Dave wrote a section of the novel in which the protagonist and his girlfriend are running away, trying to hide from someone. They go into an undertaking parlor, and they climb into one empty coffin, and .... You’ll find that scene where Dave re-created the Atlantic City layout. And near the casinos is a black neighborhood. There are black undertaking parlors, so Mort could claim he came up with the most novel sex scene. But it was Dave’s idea. [NOTE: We assume the “novel” GK referred to is Mort Weisinger’s novel

Welcome To Smallville! The “Superboy” splash from More Fun Comics #106 (Nov.-Dec. 1945), with Siegel & Shuster’s original byline—though the GCD attributes the art to Marvin Stein. Thanks to Gene Reed. A photo of Jerry and Joe was seen last issue. [©2010 DC Comics.]

MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS:

in COLOR! Bram Stoker's legendary novel of gothic horror comes to life all over again—in the classics adaptation by comic legends ROY THOMAS & DICK GIORDANO! Newly colored by JUNE CHIANG 1st of 4 Issues On Sale June 9 48 pp. $3.99

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!

Introduction by Michael T. Gilbert “Wertham conducted no scientific investigation—that is, no study applying the scientific method; he employed no formal measures to test anything, and he had no control groups. His book provided no endnotes and no corroborative support for his conclusions…” David Hajdu, describing Seduction of the Innocent in his 2008 book The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America. Dr. Fredric Wertham did many worthwhile things in his career, but Seduction of the Innocent, his 1954 best-seller, definitely wasn’t one of them! Way back in Alter Ego #89, we cooked up a column featuring quotes culled from his 297-page book, warning mothers everywhere about the dangers of comic books. Think of it as Wertham Illustrated, which, like the famous Classics Illustrated comics, condensed hundreds of text pages into a handful of EZ-reading picture pages.

We’ve All Been There!

Dr. Wertham.

We at Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt are always happy to beat a dead horse, so here’s a second steaming helping of quotes from the good doctor. This is juicy stuff, so grab a napkin! I couldn’t resist adding a few comments from my own jaded 21st-century perspective. Sorry, Doc. But rest assured that Wertham’s quotes accurately reflect the book’s contents. So here’s Dr. Wertham—in his own words.

Doc Wertham’s Straight Talk About Comix! (Part Two) Comic Books: Threat or Menace? P. 269: “One literary critic had been very permissive about comic books and had not included them in his other excellent critiques of life and literature. He changed his mind one evening when after reprimanding his children, ages seven and five, he overheard the older saying to the young: ‘Don’t worry. In the morning I kill both of them!” Yeah, that would change my mind, too….

*** P. 114: “It is in the youngest children that one can see the process of imitation most clearly at work. A four-year-old boy in Florida looked through his brother’s comic books and his mother found him under a tree stark naked, with a long knife in his hands.” Say! What ever became of that Manson boy?

***

P. 144: “On the highest level of reading, comic books influence the creative abilities of children.... In a recent school magazine edited and got out by the pupils themselves there is a typical story, showing comic book influences.... The story closes with this fittingly crude verse:

Doc Wertham’s Straight Talk About Comix! (Part Two)

‘A flash of light,/The pull of a switch, The chair in its might/Kills a son of a bitch!’” Sublime poem, Mickey Spillane, Jr.!

*** P. 144: “Comic books also have many words that are not words at all. From one typical comic book alone, a Western endorsed by a psychiatrist on the first page I have made this partial list: OWW ARGHH OOOHHH WHAM GLURB UGH GLHELP KURRACK KAPWING THUNK BLAM UEOW UNGH BAM ZING AANGH AARGG OOOOOO! HAH! GLUG-UGH!” Doc, all I can say is YIEEEE! AAAAAH! PING!

*** The Crime Detective cover below was printed in Seduction of the Innocent with this caption: “Caricature of the author in a position comic-book publishers wish he were in permanently!” Maybe they just didn’t want to hear any more comic book sound effects!

***

P. 388: “Scholars will be interested in this new version of Shakespear’s Hamlet: “THE DEATH SCENE (Hamlet speaking): Fear not, queen mother! It was Laertes And he shall die at my hands! …Alas! I have been poisoned And now I, too, go To join my deceased father! I, too – I – AGGGRRRAA!” Actually, Doc, that version is currently being adapted for Broadway, with Sir Sylvester Stallone in the part of Hamlet.

***

Bound To Please! “Caricature of the author in a position comic-book publishers wish he were in permanently,” claimed Wertham when he reprinted this cover from Hillman Periodicals’ Crime Detective #9 (July 1949). In A/E #42, Herb Rogoff, who was then an editor at Hillman, said ’twasn’t so, and Doc was just being paranoid. [©2010 the respective copyright holders.]

P. 269: Referring to a comic book critic, Wertham writes: “When heckled by a comic-book publisher about what his own children think of his opinion, he made the classical reply: ‘They have been so corrupted by you that they love them.’” Poor deluded types! Have they also been corrupted by ice cream? Baseball cared? Spin and Marty? Say, speaking of their vile corrupters…

The Return Of Nyoka The Jungle Girl Director Bill Black & Actress Nicola Rae Discuss Nyoka’s Prevailing Perils

by P.C. Hamerlinck

Comics publisher Bill Black’s new film, The Return of Nyoka the Jungle Girl, celebrates the venerated Republic/Fawcett adventurer in a sincere homage to the Saturday matinee cliffhanger serials of the 1940s. The brisklypaced 30-minute single “chapter” from an imaginary serial has a grandiosity all its own—while playfully establishing its reflective bridge to the past. The screen’s new Nyoka, Nicola Rae, delivers a genuine, spirited performance as she is put through the numerous perils and predicaments that come with the job. The Return of Nyoka the Jungle Girl is available on DVD from accomics.com—and as a paid download at cultretro.com.]

Part I – Back With Black: Nyoka Director Bill Black FCA: Bill, you acquired the rights to Nyoka in 1987 from Charlton, the publisher which had obtained the property after the demise of Fawcett’s comics line in the ’50s. How did your transaction with Charlton come about? BILL BLACK: I had a history with Charlton earlier in the decade … drawing covers, participating in Charlton Bullseye… and assistant editor Bill Pearson was a buddy of mine. In 1983, he set up the deal for me to have rights to the Charlton super-heroes for that year, which was instrumental in my getting AC Comics off the ground. So when Charlton folded and sold off their assets, I was one of the publishers they contacted. I had no idea I’d be obtaining Nyoka. Frankly, I had never thought much of the comic book series. To me, it had always just been a back-up feature in Master Comics. Nyoka certainly was not the “hottest” jungle girl… yet it was very appealing to me to “own” a Golden Age character, especially one with such a long publishing history. But I was much more drawn to the Republic movie serial versions, especially Kay Aldridge’s Nyoka Gordon. I had met Kay Aldridge circa 1978 when she was about 60

Nyoka Times Three Republic Pictures created Nyoka for Saturday matinee serials, and the first lady of the jungle was Frances Gifford in 1941’s Jungle Girl (above left)— followed by Kay Aldridge (above right, seen in Perils of Nyoka with leading man Clayton Moore, years before he donned the Lone Ranger mask; he autographed the still to FCA’s editor). At right is the poster for the Bill Blackproduced/directed 2009 film The Return of Nyoka the Jungle Girl starring Nicola Rae as Nyoka, Pierson Rintz as The Crimson Skull, and Chris Casteel as Satan the gorilla. [Nyoka the Jungle Girl TM & ©2010 AC Comics.]

The Return Of Nyoka The Jungle Girl

The Comics Jungle (Left:) Fawcett Publications struck a deal with Republic to produce “Nyoka” comics, beginning with the 1942 one-shot Jungle Girl, a loose adaptation of the Perils of Nyoka movie serial, with art by Harry Anderson. (Center:) A couple of years later, “Nyoka” became a back-up feature in Master Comics, from #50-132, soon running alongside her own monthly comic. On Kurt Schaffenberger’s cover for Master #131 (Dec. 1952), she shares a ride with mag co-stars Tom Mix and Ozzie in a race with Captain Marvel Jr.—who doubtless won. (Right:) When Fawcett shut down their comics department, “Nyoka” swung over to Charlton, first appearing in Zoo Funnies—retitled Nyoka the Jungle Girl with #14 (Nov. 1955). Cover by Maurice Whitman. [Nyoka the Jungle Girl TM & ©2010 AC Comics.]

into the mix. My idea was to include roles for jungle-connected actors I’d met, such as Jock Mahoney (Tarzan), Irish McCalla (Sheena), and Kay Aldridge (Nyoka). It would have been a dream come true, but that script was too high-budget for our level of filmmaking. By the mid-’90s, Mike and I gave up on Hollywood and decided to strike out on our own, mostly making films just for the fun of it. Jock Mahoney died in 1989 and Irish and Kay are gone, as well. Even Mike passed away a year or so ago, never getting the chance to see the films I finished in 2009.

years old, and I was smitten. FCA: You went on to reprint many “Nyoka” comic book stories over the years—both from the original Fawcett run to later Charlton appearances. BLACK: The Fawcett “Nyoka” stories were bland—and the Charlton version even more so. At Fawcett, I thought Harry Anderson (who drew the first issue) did the best art on the series; Bernie Krigstein’s early work on “Nyoka” was before he really blossomed as an illustrator. Maurice Whitman was probably the best artist on the Charlton stories, but those tales were routinely only five—sometimes even only four or three (!)— pages long. Conversely, earlier Fawcett yarns may have been book-length in page count, yet still managed to impart minimal storytelling. The Fawcett writers had this odd penchant for stretching time: they’d turn a 10-second peril of Nyoka falling off a cliff into two pages of panels.

FCA: Did you have any plans to have then-17year-old Laura Stafford (featured in your Nyoka comics) to portray “Young Nyoka” in a film?

FCA: In addition to being a publisher, you’ve been producing and directing your own independent films since the ’60s. What prompted you to make a Nyoka movie? BLACK: Producing Nyoka last year was a natural because we had an actress who was perfect for the part and because Florida, where I live, is a natural jungle—or at least it used to be… hard to find land now that hasn’t been covered in asphalt. FCA: In the late ’80s, in an issue of the AC Nyoka comics series, you reported that you had written a screenplay with the working title Nyoka and the Secret of the Sacred Skull, which was to involve Kay Aldridge. What became of that project?

BLACK: Oh, no. Laura is my daughter. She was a model at the time—but getting her to do that was like pulling teeth. She’s never really showed much interest in “the family business”—but she did like my new Nyoka movie.

Daddy’s Girl

BLACK: I had partnered with Hollywood producer Mike Frankovich, Jr., to try to get our properties made into movies. I wrote Sacred Skull and threw it

Bill Black’s then-teenage daughter Laura was the reluctant participant as “Young Nyoka” for her dad’s fourth issue of The Further Adventures of Nyoka the Jungle Girl. [Nyoka the Jungle Girl TM & ©2010 AC Comics.]

Alter Ego #94