Back Issue #19 by TwoMorrows Publishing

Gerber & Colan talk “Pro2Pro” on Howard the Duck!

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N$o6..1995

The Art and Life

… DON NEWTON!

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UNSUNG HEROES • DEFENDERS • CHAMPIONS • TV’S UNLIMITED POWERS CARLIN & FINGEROTH ON MARVEL’S ASSISTANT EDITORS’ MONTH

The Ultimate Comics Experience!

Volume 1, Number 19 December 2006 Celebrating the Best Comics of the '70s, '80s, and Today!

PUBLISHER John Morrow DESIGNER Rich J. Fowlks CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Bob Brodsky, Seastone Marketing Group

BACK SEAT DRIVER: Editorial by Michael Eury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 FLASHBACK: BACK ISSUE Remembers The Defenders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The history of Marvel’s “non-team,” including interviews with many of the series’ writers and artists GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD: We Are the Champions?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Writer Tony Isabella reveals his unrealized plans for the’70s super-team comic PRO2PRO: Birds of a Feather: Steve Gerber and Gene Colan Discuss Howard the Duck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The writer and artist waddle through memories of the irascible hero who was “trapped in a world he never made”

PROOFREADERS John Morrow and Christopher Irving

GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD: Unlimited Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 As almost seen on TV: Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo’s live-action series starring the Flash, Green Arrow, Blok, and Dr. Occult

COVER ARTISTS Don Newton and Josef Rubinstein

BACKSTAGE PASS: Geppi’s Entertainment Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 A photo tour of pop culture’s coolest new attraction

COVER COLORIST Tom Ziuko

WHAT THE--?!: Interview with a Very Rich Boy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 “The Comics Savant” goes one-on-one with Richie Rich

COVER DESIGNER Robert Clark

PRO2PRO: Marvel Assistant Editors’ Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Danny Fingeroth and Mike Carlin relive this Golden Oldie

SPECIAL THANKS Dusty Abell Steve Lipsky Neal Adams Marvel Comics Tamara Asseyev Bob McLeod Danny Bilson Julie Meddows Kathie Boozer Don Perlin Mike Burkey John Petty Sal Buscema Rose Rummel-Eury Mike Carlin Brian Schatz Dewey Cassell John K. Snyder, Jr. Gene Colan Tom Stewart Barbara Crews Roy Thomas Jamie David Steven Tice DC Comics J. C. Vaughn Fred deBoom Len Wein J. M. DeMatteis Bob Wiacek Paul DeMeo Jay Willson Kim DeMulder Cory Everson Steve Englehart Tom Field Danny Fingeroth G-Unit Steve Geppi Steve Gerber Steven Gerding Geronimo Film Productions Keith Giffen Grand Comic-Book Database Ed Hannigan Harvey Comics Heritage Comics Image Comics Dan Johnson Wendy Kelman Barry Keller David Anthony Kraft

OFF MY CHEST: Mark of Excellence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Peter Sanderson’s guest editorial commemorates the tenth anniversary of the passing of influential Marvel writer/editor Mark Gruenwald

EDITOR Michael Eury

NEW IN PRINT: In the Gruenwald Tradition.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Image’s Invincible Handbook, with peeks at art by Austin, S. Buscema, Frenz, P. Smith, and Zeck ART GALLERY: The Art of Don Newton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Full-page rarities from our featured unsung hero FLASHBACK: Don Newton: “He Showed Us How to Do It Right” . . . . . . . . . . . 51 An in-depth, art-rich retrospective of the Phantom/Batman/Shazam! illustrator FLASHBACK BONUS: Memories of Don Newton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 An intimate portrait from a personal friend COMICS ON DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 The Flash, Superboy, and more releases of interest to the retro comics fan INTERVIEW: Lights, Camera … Bob Wiacek?? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Was that the Brave and Bold/X-Men inker we saw on the tube with rapper 50 Cent? GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD: She-Hulk the Movie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 The scoop behind the Brigitte Nielsen flick you didn’t see GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD: Ty Hardin’s Brave and Bold Misses . . . . . . . 80 Was this bearded dead-ringer for Oliver Queen the inspiration for Green Arrow’s makeover? BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Reader feedback on issue #17 BACK ISSUE™ is published bimonthly by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor, 5060A Foothills Dr., Lake Oswego, OR 97034. Email: euryman@msn.com. Six-issue subscriptions: $36 Standard US, $54 First Class US, $66 Canada, $72 Surface International, $96 Airmail International. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover art by Don Newton and Josef Rubinstein, with special thanks to Steve Lipsky. Batman and related characters TM & © DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2006 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Publishing. BACK ISSUE is a TM of TwoMorrows Publishing. ISSN 1932-6904. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING.

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the Bold, shares with us what type of work an inker might find for himself when the assignments slow down. Occasionally, there are comic-book series that develop cult audiences but never quite reach the A-list. Marvel’s X-Men, of course, played second fiddle to The Avengers for years before rising to the top of the publisher’s super-team heap. The Defenders, however, never enjoyed such acclaim (although it did manage a lengthy original run, followed by a succession of revivals), but many readers recall the title with great affection and have requested a focus on it here. Your wish is our command. Sometimes, unsung heroes come in the shape of material that didn’t make it off the drawing board. You’ll discover such missed opportunities in this issue’s four “Greatest Stories Never Told” articles. And amid this eclectic mix of comics’ great underdogs is a remembrance of its greatest underduck, Howard, through the “Pro2Pro” recollections of his creator, writer Steve Gerber, and artist Gene Colan.

In this issue, we take a look back at a number of comics creators who and series that somehow escaped the acclaim they rightly deserved: “Unsung Heroes.” Those of you who have been reading this magazine for a while know that BACK ISSUE traditionally does not feature career-spanning retrospectives of writers or artists. When publisher John Morrow offered me the editorship of BI back in 2003, I decided that the way to distinguish this then-startup magazine from its predecessor on TwoMorrows’ schedule, Comic Book Artist, was to simply allow their titles to define their content: Since Comic Book Artist (mostly) spotlighted comic-book artists, then BACK ISSUE’s mandate would be to cover the back issues—the comics themselves. That’s why you’ve seen histories of long-running and short-lived series in these pages, with their writers and artists offering their behind-thescenes insights, instead of lengthy examinations of any creator’s work (BI’s solo-creator interviews often focus upon a single series, as with last issue’s Mike Grell/Green Arrow feature). I’ve rejected several proposals from writers who wanted to do a “Fill-in-theBlanks-Name-of-a-Famous-Artist Issue” of this magazine—that’s simply not our purview. But then there’s Don Newton…. Don Newton’s name has popped up in letters and emails from BI readers more so than any other creator’s. Many of our readers fondly remember Newton’s work, and have asked for it to be covered in these pages. Thirty or so years ago, I first stumbled across Don’s art in an issue of Charlton Comics’ The Phantom (despite the fact that Charltons rarely made it onto my reading radar, as those who read my “Back in Print” column last issue recall). By the time Newton landed at DC a few years later, I became a fan of his work since it graced the adventures of three of my favorite characters, Aquaman, Captain Marvel, and Batman. Although Don Newton died in 1984 after an all-too-short career penciling comics for Charlton, DC, and Marvel, his realistic style distinguished the artist among his contemporaries and inspired many illustrators who were beginning to hone their skills during the 1980s. One can only imagine how Newton’s artistry might have flourished had he lived longer, and it is with great pride that BACK ISSUE showcases his work. Another genius whose creative flame was extinguished far, far too early was Marvel editor/writer Mark Gruenwald, to whom we offer tribute. Is there any vocation in comics more underappreciated than the editor? The comic-book editor walks the perpetual (and largely thankless) tightrope that divides massaging talent and policing schedules. In this issue, we salute the editor by looking at one of comics’ most offbeat gimmicks ever: Marvel’s Assistant Editors’ Month. Additionally, the comics inker often gets no respect—and anyone who’s seen Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy can certainly back up that remark. Bob Wiacek, who’s embellished everyone from Paul Smith on X-Men to George Pérez on the new The Brave and

Michael Eury

Oh, you had to end this editorial on a sour note by reminding us of that turkey, didn’t you, Howard? Thaaaanks… …and thanks to the other unsung hero of each and every edition of BACK ISSUE: you, the reader. Your enthusiasm and support has steered us through our first three years in print, and we look forward to many more together.

Remembers by

Dan Johnson

They were the outsiders of Marvel Comics: the loners, the malcontents, and the misfits. Their original roster included several of the company’s most famous solo acts: Dr. Strange; the Incredible Hulk; Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner; and the Silver Surfer. Strong and powerful on their own, they were unstoppable together as the world’s greatest nonteam: the Defenders. According to Essential Defenders vol. 1, the earliest Defenders stories were a series of team-ups that spanned various issues of the non-team’s individual books, where they faced off against the Undying Ones in Doctor Strange #183 (Nov. 1969), Sub-Mariner #22 (Feb. 1970), and The Incredible Hulk #126 (Apr. 1970) and stopped the threat of a nuclear weathercontrol station in Sub-Mariner #34–35 (Feb. and Mar. 1971). Eventually, the decision was made to bring these heroes together officially. Indeed, the Defenders weren’t christened until Marvel Feature #1 (Dec. 1971), and they almost didn’t have the leadership of the Sorcerer Supreme. “My original idea was to have the team composed of Hulk, Namor, and the Silver Surfer,” explains Roy Thomas, the man who created the non-team. “But Stan didn’t like anyone else writing the Silver Surfer much at that time, so he ‘suggested’ Dr. Strange replace him. It worked out very well, perhaps better. The name Defenders was Stan’s also.” With artist Ross Andru, Thomas wrote three Defenders adventures for Marvel Feature. “The Defenders sold well from its three-issue tryout,” says Thomas. “I’d have continued it, but was busy with The Avengers, so I turned it over to Steve Englehart, who did wild and wonderful things with it.”

Not Your Average Super-Team Original cover artwork to Giant-Size Defenders #1 (1974), by Gil Kane and Mike Esposito. Unless otherwise noted, all art in this article is courtesy of Heritage Comics. © 2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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NEW TEAMS FOR THE NON-TEAM Ross Andru did not continue as the non-team’s artist when they moved into their own series with The Defenders #1 (Aug. 1972). The artist chosen to succeed Andru, Sal Buscema, became one of the defining illustrators for this group. “Comics is a hybrid medium,” offers Englehart. “I can write the world’s greatest script, and if the art doesn’t convey it, the reader will say that whole thing didn’t work. I have a career because people liked my comics. Part of the reason they [liked them] was because Sal Buscema is so good at conveying what it was I wanted to say. If I had a lesser artist, my books would not have been as well received and my career would not have followed the same trajectory. I owe him in that regard.” In Defenders #4 (Feb. 1973), Englehart added a member who would stay with the non-team up until the very end, the warrior-woman Valkyrie. “When you’re doing a book on a regular basis, you start to see what you need to keep it going,” says Englehart.

“[The Defenders] was a great concept, and they were great characters, but they were all men and they were all skewed to one side of the emotional spectrum. I figured a woman would give me something else to work with. Making her a kick-ass woman made her one of the team. She was the right person for that group, and she fit in with the kind of idea that none of them thought of themselves as a team, but at the same time she offered something very different with her background and her point of view. It is difficult to do an ongoing series about a group of people who don’t want to be together, so Valkyrie was the sweetener to hold it together.” Englehart also brought someone to the Defenders that Thomas had wanted from the beginning: the Silver Surfer. “It was common knowledge that Stan wanted to hold on to the Silver Surfer for himself,” says Englehart. “I knew the Surfer was [Stan’s baby], and I still went to him and said, ‘I’ve got this really good idea about the Silver Surfer, could I use him?’ To me, ideas have always trumped the rules, for better or worse. Stan had no reason to let me do what I asked him to let me do, except that Stan also believed in ideas, and Marvel in those days was very nurturing and encouraging of people taking it to the next level. So I used [the Surfer] the one time, and a couple of months later, I had another idea for the character. I wasn’t trying to get the Surfer in there on a regular basis, but he belonged in that group. Roy was right the first time, the Surfer

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worked well with these people and he did offer [an outer-space element].” Before leaving the series, Englehart made two other contributions that, at first, were deemed risky: the “Summer Event” and Marvel’s first major, multi-issue crossover. “As a fan, I used to love the summer specials and annuals from Marvel,” recalls Englehart. “[In 1973], for the first time, Marvel decided they weren’t going to do any, so I thought of the idea that had the series going back and forth all summer long with this big storyline that involved everybody.” Englehart’s story became the “Evil Eye” saga, which ran in alternating issues of The Defenders and The Avengers. Today, Englehart’s crossover concept is commonplace. When first proposed, though, there were concerns. “Roy was a little dubious to start with,” recalls Englehart. “If any one of those issues had come out late, it would have screwed the whole thing up, then you would have been reading stories out of order. Roy expressed that concern, and I told him I wouldn’t screw it up, and he okayed it.” Len Wein stepped in as the non-team’s new scribe with issue #12 (Feb. 1974). “[I liked having] a chance to play around with the Hulk and Doctor Strange, two of my favorite characters,” says Wein. “That, and the fact that I got to bring in other characters, like Professor X, Son of Satan, and Luke Cage, pretty much as I wanted to. To a young writer at that time, that was quite an appealing concept.” During his short stint, Wein was also able to bring in a Defender who helped to define the non-team further, the criminal-turned-hero Nighthawk. “Adding Nighthawk gave me a character to play with who didn’t have a whole lot of previous history and thus a whole lot of baggage,” explains Wein. “Essentially, it gave at least one character I could do anything I wanted with without worrying about how it would affect any other titles that character might appear in.” The arrival of Nighthawk would mean the departure of the Sub-Mariner, which didn’t bother Wein too much. “What was lost by removing Namor? For me, pretty much nothing,” says Wein. “The Hulk gave me the raw power Namor could provide, and I have always hated Namor’s arrogant attitude. I was happy not to have to deal with it.”

GERBER’S BABIES There are certain defining moments for any series that sees its share of multiple creators. For The Defenders, one came with issue #20 (Feb. 1975). The Defenders were in for a huge change, and as it turned out, so was their new writer, Steve Gerber. “I really wanted to try the Defenders. I had never written a team book before, and I liked the idea of the nonteam. When Len decided to leave the book, I sort of campaigned for it,” explains Gerber. “Perhaps foolishly, Marvel [gave it to me].” With Gerber’s arrival, Defenders lost any hope of ever again being a traditional super-hero series. “The series always paid lip service that the Defenders were not really a team,” says Gerber, “but they almost always acted as a team. I wanted to extend the group’s dysfunction beyond their personal interactions into the hero-villain conflicts.” Gerber’s run on the series is remembered for the humor that he injected into the book, but it was never at the expense of the characters themselves. “I used to tell people that Defenders was my humor

Super-Team vs. Non-Team

book, and that Howard the Duck was my serious book,” says Gerber. “I thought that Defenders, in its own way, was a lot funnier. The stories were real adventure stories, but skewed slightly toward the bizarre. The characters themselves were all very peculiar, and I loved that about them. These guys could have never made the Avengers. They were Marvel’s answer to the Legion of Substitute Heroes.” When Gerber wrote The Defenders, all bets were off. “There was an understanding among myself and the writers of Dr. Strange and The Incredible Hulk that the characters in The Defenders who went by those names were not exactly the same characters that appeared in their own books. In today’s terminology, The Defenders’ characters might have been called the ‘All-Star’ or ‘Ultimates’ versions,” suggests Gerber. “That approach was necessary, or managing the continuity would have been a nightmare, and, even more importantly, none of the books could have

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We Are the

Editor’s note: The following article was originally serialized in three consecutive issues of The Comics Buyers’ Guide and is reprinted here by the permission of the writer.

One of the most baffling mysteries of my career is the regularity with which readers ask me about The Champions, a title I conceived and wrote for Marvel in the 1970s. It featured possibly the most awkward teaming of super-heroes ever: the Angel, Iceman, the Black Widow, Hercules, and the Ghost Rider. It ran 17 issues. I plotted six of its first seven issues and scripted five of them. Though I always gave it my best shot and did some decent work on the title, I don’t count it among my comics triumphs. Yet fans keep asking me about it. The Champions were “conceived” in 1975. Marvel editorial has been ordered to add a bunch of new titles to the schedule and add them quickly. Though my memory is a wee bit shaky on this, I recall being given the go-ahead on three new titles in the same afternoon (Champions, Black Goliath, and a Tigra series for Marvel Chillers) and being told the very next day that I was already late on all of them. Can I get an “Arrgh!” from the congregation? My initial pitch for Champions was very different from what I ended up writing. Iceman and Angel had just quit the X-Men and, since I always liked those characters, I tried to come up with something cool for them. What I dreamed up was a cross between Route 66 and The Odd Couple. I saw Champions as a “buddy” book. Wealthy Warren Worthington and average guy Bobby Drake would travel across the country, driving each other crazy, getting in trouble, and helping just plain folks with not-so-plain dangers and villains. I envisioned one- and two-issue adventures with lots of clever dialogue, exciting action, and pretty ladies. I even figured Don Heck for the artist because he was a master at drawing expressive faces and gorgeous women… and he wasn’t too shabby when it came to the action either. I was confident this would be a great comic book. Then—cue the scary music from Jaws—the editors got involved. I was told a super-hero team must have five members. I was told this by the editor and writer of Fantastic Four. I was told a super-hero team must have at least one woman member. Having set up the Black Widow’s departure from Daredevil during my short run on that title, I chose her. I was told a super-hero team must have at least one member with his own series. The editor suggested Luke Cage. I chose Johnny Blaze, figuring that, since I was writing Ghost Rider, I could keep Johnny too busy to attend Champions meetings. I was told a super-hero team must have a “strong guy” on the team. 1 2

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CHAMPIONS ? I chose Hercules. If I had to play by these silly rules, I might as well go my editors one better. That’s why I added Venus and a passel of Greek/Roman gods to the team’s origin story. By then, I was even kind of sort of looking forward to the challenge of making this nonsense work. My plan was to establish the Champions as superheroes for the guys and gals on the street, agents of a charitable organization funded by the Angel’s money. It wasn’t a bad notion, but it was too big of a notion for me to manage with these mismatched characters and with the grandiose opening story arc I had come up with to get them all together as a team. I never did get a handle on it. However, I did come up with a Russian tragedy involving the Black Widow When I plotted and scripted “The Man Who Created the Black Widow” for Champions #7 (Aug. 1976), I didn’t realize it would be my last issue of the title. I thought it was the first chapter of an arc which would change Natasha’s life forever. My inspiration was a flashback in an earlier Widow story in which Ivan Petrovich told how he rescued young Natasha from a fire which claimed the life of the girl’s mother. It was a truly tragic moment … and I wanted to make it more so. The Widow was attacked by villains gathered by the Commissar, who’d trained Natasha prior to her becoming a Soviet agent. Most of his team were old foes of the Champions or its members, but one of them was a new Crimson Dynamo. The new CD was Yuri Petrovich, Ivan’s son. My memory is foggy on some of my plans, but I remember a key element with crystal clarity. During the arc, we and the Widow would learn Yuri was her brother and Ivan, her father. Having arrived too late to save the lives of his wife and— he thought—his son, Ivan considered himself to be unworthy to claim his daughter’s love. Though he’d remain as close to her as possible, as her chauffeur and confidant, he would never reveal their true relationship. Determined to punish the father he falsely believed had abandoned him, Yuri intended to kill Natasha in front of Ivan. To save her, Ivan would reveal the truth he had hidden for so long. This would wound Natasha, enrage Yuri, and leave Ivan more alone than ever. I don’t recall if Yuri or Ivan survive my story. I’m an old softy, but I know you can’t have a great Russian tragedy unless something, uh, tragic happens. After I scripted the issue, Marvel went through an editorial change. I went to DC. The last page of Champions #7 was changed to allow incoming writer Bill Mantlo to take the title in his own direction. I think he did a fine job, but I’ll always regret never finishing the story my way.

Missed Opportunities Original cover art to Tony Isabella’s last issue of The Champions, #7 (Aug. 1976), penciled by Rich Buckler and inked by Frank Giacoia. Courtesy of Heritage Comics. © 2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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Birds of a Feather: Gerber and Colan Discuss

Dan Johnson

cond ucte d on August 8, 2006

It takes more than talent to make a comic book that will be remembered 30 years after it is published. A writer has to be something slightly more than brilliant, and an artist has to be more than just incredibly gifted. Truly great comic books are made by creators who reach a point where they can operate on the same wavelength, and it doesn’t hurt if they happen to like one another as friends. Most of all, it helps if they love the comic book that they’re doing. This was the case when Steve Gerber and Gene Colan joined forces to put a certain fowl through his paces, and helped Howard the Duck navigate a world he never made. —Dan Johnson DAN JOHNSON: Steve, let’s talk about the creation of Howard the Duck. Howard started out being a throwaway character in the Man-Thing feature in Adventure into Fear #19 (Dec. 1973). What kind of response did the character get that made Marvel realize that he had potential? STEVE GERBER: Rather than “throwaway character,” I would use the term “sight gag.” The story we were doing for Man-Thing had to do with a collision of realities, and we already had a visual of a barbarian jumping out of a jar of peanut butter. That had to be topped some way or another, so Howard was the sight gag to top it. The Barbarian was sitting in the Man-Thing’s swamp and talking about how his life had become an absurdity, and Howard walks out from behind a clump of brush and says, “Mister, you don’t know the meaning of the word,” or something like that. He was fun to write from that very first line, but I don’t think any of us at Marvel anticipated Howard becoming a continuing character. In fact, in the second half of that story, which appeared in Man-Thing #1 (Jan. 1974), Roy Thomas, Marvel’s editor-in-chief at time, gave me strict orders to get the Duck out of there. He felt, and was probably correct, that having a cartoon duck waddling around with a swamp monster would spoil the mood of horror. So, in the course of that story, we had Howard tumble off into the void, and I don’t think any of us ever expected to see him again.

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JOHNSON: The first couple of Howard stories leaned more toward the horror genre than the super-hero genre. In his first solo story you even had him squaring off with a vampire cow. GERBER: “Hellcow” (Giant-Size Man-Thing [insert sophomoric pun here] #5, Aug. 1975) was the second story. The first was “Frog Death” (G-S M-T #4, Apr. 1975), with Garko the Man-Frog, which, sans duck, could have passed for a very typical EC-style horror short. Howard’s origins, after all, were in a horror comic book, and horror and humor are very close cousins. I never saw Howard representing any genre—he’s sort of sui generis—but his horror roots were showing in a lot of the early stuff. You have to remember, at that time horror had become very popular in comics, much more so than it is today. Gene was doing Tomb of Dracula at that time, and Man-Thing, on a percentage basis, was one of Marvel’s best-selling titles. The idea of dropping the Duck into horror situations just kind of grew naturally out of that. JOHNSON: You even had a “Frankenstein Monster” that was a giant gingerbread man, in Howard the Duck #6 and 7 (Nov. and Dec. 1976). GERBER: Our gothic romance story, which I loved. That was another genre that was making inroads into comics at that time. Marvel wasn’t doing anything with it, but DC had several gothic romance titles, the best known of which was The Sinister House of Secret Love. The Duck story, of course, was titled “The Secret House of Forbidden Cookies,” and it somehow became a cross between Wuthering Heights and Frankenstein, with the monster being a giant gingerbread man. Don’t ask me to explain that one. Somehow, it happened organically. JOHNSON: I liked Beverly Switzler as a character. I always thought she was the perfect Ying to Howard’s Yang. How did you come to create her? GERBER: She was created over dinner with Mary Skrenes and Frank Brunner, who was going to draw the first issue, and had drawn the short stories in Giant-Size Man-Thing. Mary came up with the name Beverly—actually, she intended it to be spelled “Beverlee”—and I wound up basing the character very loosely on Mary herself. Beverly was intended to be a throwaway character; she was created as the requisite half-naked female in distress for Howard’s barbarian adventure. Somehow, she survived to the end of the story, and in the process she’d become such an amusing character that there was no way I was going to let her go. JOHNSON: Gene, how did you come to work on Howard? GENE COLAN: I don’t quite remember how I got into it. I was doing something else at the time; it might have been Tomb of Dracula. GERBER: Gene was working on a couple of books at the time, including Tomb of Dracula. I can tell you a funny story about how Gene got involved with this: When Brunner left the book, Roy, or John Verpoorten, who was production manager at Marvel at the time, asked me who would be my choice to take over the penciling. The first two words out of my mouth were “Gene Colan,” which I thought would be impossible. Gene and I had done a few things, like a couple of Son of Satans and a Dracula story for Dracula Lives. The reason I wanted you to do the book, Gene, was that you drew human beings so well. If you could carry off the Duck, the series would look the way it was supposed to, with a three-dimensional anthropomorphized duck trapped in our reality. You may not remember this, and I’ll bet you’ll deny it, but when John first called you to ask if you would take the assignment, you hadn’t heard of Howard the Duck. John

Beginnings: Incredible Hulk #157, Marvel Comics (1972) (script over Roy Thomas’ plot)

Milestones: Man-Thing / Defenders / creation of Howard the Duck / co-creation with Mary Skrenes of the original Omega the Unknown / Phantom Zone miniseries / creation of Thundarr the Barbarian / creation of Nevada /creation of Hard Time

Work in Progress: Hard Time Season Two, DC Comics/Vertigo

Cyberspace: www.stevegerber.com www.stevegerber.com/sgblog (almost-daily blog)

Steve Gerber Photo courtesy of stevegerber.com.

Beginnings: Wings Comics for Fiction House in 1944

Milestones: Journey into Mystery / Kid Colt, Outlaw / Creepy / Eerie The Avengers / Silver Surfer / Iron Man / Sub-Mariner / Captain Marvel / Captain America / Dr. Strange / Daredevil / Tomb of Dracula / Howard the Duck / Phantom Zone / Wonder Woman Ragamuffins in Eclipse Monthly / Batman in Detective Comics Night Force / Nathaniel Dusk, Private Investigator / Jemm: Son of Saturn / Silverblade / Rob Zombie's Spookshow Spectacular / Hellboy: Weird Tales

Work in progress: Retired, but taking requests for commissions through his official website

Cyberspace: www.genecolan.com

Gene Colan Photo courtesy of Tom Field.

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David Gutierrez An aged speedster. A bio-engineered man. A novice archer. A black mage. These four became a new Justice League in a world of dark politics and the absence of heroism, where “Batman hung up his cape” and “Superman departed for galaxies unknown” in the non-produced CBS pilot, Ultimate Powers. Unfortunately, their story would remain untold—until today. Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo are no strangers to bringing super-heroes to the big and small screens. After paying their dues writing, producing, and directing B-movies for cult film mogul Charles Band, Bilson and DeMeo wrote and sold an adaptation of Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer to Disney in the mid-’80s. This led to a development deal with CBS where the two would write a bold and inspiring pilot in 1989 that would never be made.

“THE RETURN OF THE FLASH” “The Return of the Flash,” the Unlimited Powers pilot, opens with a bang. Barry Allen, the Flash, escapes from a 15-year-long suspended-animation prison sentence and runs out into oppressive Central City. Now a virtual police state run by Civic Governor Kendrick, the Flash is declared a fugitive. For the first time in his career, he experiences fatigue when he uses his powers. His age is catching up with him now that his body has outrun his mind. The Flash liberates some clothing and hides out in the downtrodden area of the city known as Peddler’s Row. An advertisement featuring a “middle-aged man in a black mask and green body suit” selling Emerald Brand Batteries catches the Flash’s attention. He sees his old colleague, Green Lantern, reduced to cashing in on his reputation to make a fast dollar. “My God,” asks the Flash, “What have they done to us?” For ten dollars, Doctor Richard “Doc” Occult will tell a customer both their future and their past. Doc is described as a longhaired man in a black leather jacket. Manning a booth in Peddler’s Row, Doc’s levitation practice is interrupted by two angry men. The two men rough up Doc in an attempt to force him to use his precognitive abilities for their financial gain. Doc escapes a beating and runs out into the street. He trips over a bag lady’s shopping cart and receives the beating he just avoided. The Flash notices this from a nearby soup line and intervenes. In a flurry of punches and speed, the Flash saves Doc. The Flash collapses in exhaustion. When he comes to, the people of Peddler’s Row stand in awe of what they’ve just seen—the Flash has returned. The Flash quickly darts off, leaving Doc alone and calling after him. In a stark contrast to the downtown area of Central City, Governor Kendrick and a trio of his associates congregate in a posh cocktail lounge. He’s surrounded by Selina Kyle, described in the script as a “statuesque and shapely brunette in black, topped by a leopard skin pillbox hat”; a man in mirrored sunglasses; and the Prankster. Kendrick tries to convince his associates that the Flash’s escape is of no consequence or danger to his plans. The city will remain under his control. They identify their waitress, a “blowzy, overweight” woman, as none other than Diana Prince, Wonder Woman. Truly, the heroes of yesterday have fallen and fallen hard. Former Kid Flash Wally West no longer exhibits the lean runner’s physique he did in his youth. Having hung up the costume, his midsection has grown and he’s gone corporate. Two men in suits visit Wally in his suburban home asking about the Flash’s whereabouts. He denies having seen his old mentor. The suited men leave. A small whirlwind of motion startles Wally. It’s the Flash. He and Wally quickly catch up on everything the Flash missed during his incarceration. Here, we are told of the Limited Powers Act—a worldwide action that forced super-heroes to retire in exchange for world peace. Wally supports the political action, believing it has bettered things and improved his life. The Flash doesn’t agree. “Are you nuts?” he asks. “I took a fast tour of our fair city. And I saw a good town gone to hell. An army of cops, crime running wild, spy blimps … even the air smells rotten. How can you expect me to quit now?”

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A second blur of motion interrupts the debate. Wally holds a foot out, causing the blur to halt. It turns out that Tommy, Wally’s son, has inherited the gift of speed. West chastises his son for using his powers out in the open. The Flash asks the question that has weighed on him since his return: What has happened to Iris West, Wally’s sister and the Flash’s girlfriend? Iris became a civic attorney and is romantically involved with a policeman. After the Flash leaves Wally’s home, Wally calls his sister to tell her about the hero’s return. At her office, Iris West receives an unexpected visit by her old flame. She and the Flash momentarily talk about where they stand in each other’s lives, but get nowhere. She suggests he enroll in a governmentsponsored program run by Governor Kendrick for helping super-heroes adapt to “normal life.” The Flash is stunned. He reveals to Iris that Governor Harlan Kendrick is none other than the super-villain and mercenary, the Icicle. Before Iris can voice her objections, the Flash kisses her. She responds in kind, but pulls away just before her boyfriend, policeman Bill Farrow, enters her office. Iris’ boyfriends, past and present, make introductions. Bill explains that while he will not arrest the Flash, he expects him to stay away from Iris. She suggests that the Flash visit another old colleague, Oliver Queen, who successfully completed Kendrick’s program. The Flash agrees and Iris walks him out. Seeing an opportunity, Bill quickly phones the Warden’s Bureau. The Flash arrives at the Queen Estate for a meeting with his old comrade-in-arms, the Green Arrow. Oliver’s teenage daughter, Ashley, greets him before being reunited with Oliver himself. Now sixty, Oliver still sports his trademark moustache and goatee. Sadly, Oliver now suffers from paralysis in his bow hand. The Flash voices his anger at what his world has become. Every bit as fiery and opinionated her father, Ashley volunteers to help. Oliver dismisses her, causing her to storm out. Oliver believes his daughter is fully capable of taking up his mantle, but fears what would happen if the Wardens discovered her. From atop the Queen estate, Ashley fires a grapplinghook arrow she’s drawn from an emerald quiver. She swings over to a library window and eavesdrops on her father and the Flash’s plan to expose Kendrick. They hope to bring to light the conspiracy uncovered by the late Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle, revealing the forced retirement of heroes in the Limited Powers Act was secretly added by a group of super-villains. “Our enemies have infiltrated the highest levels of society,” explains Oliver. “I don’t know where or who they are.” Ashley spots policemen surrounding the estate. The Senior Warden and his police force have confirmed the Flash’s presence. Ashley fires a flare arrow, blanketing

New Kid on the Blok Who’s Blok, you newbies ask? First seen as one of the Legion of SuperAssassins in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #252 (July 1979), this concrete crusher soon joined the future super-team. Blok still had a thing or two to learn in the above panel from page 23 of issue #292 (Oct. 1982), from chapter three of the classic “The Great Darkness Saga” by Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen, and Larry Mahlstadt. © 2006 DC Comics.

the grounds in a familiar green. The Senior Warden and police storm the estate gates and bark out a warning, calling for the Flash’s surrender. Ashley defiantly draws her bow back and orders the police to leave. The police aim their rifles back at her. Ashley releases an arrow that pierces the Chief Warden’s hat, pinning it to a tree. Ashley proclaims, “The Green Arrow lives!” The arrow explodes in a cloud of smoke. A second smoke arrow detonates on the estate grounds, confusing the policemen. Ashley regroups with her father and the Flash. Now a fugitive, Ashley escapes down a hidden tunnel with the Flash. They drive off in a green car with the police in pursuit. Ashley makes quick work of one of the police cars by piercing one of its wheels with an arrow. An electrical pulse fired by a police zeppelin stops her and the Flash. They are pulled from their car and placed under arrest. The Flash is separated from Ashley, shackled, and thrown him in a holding cell. Kendrick enters the cell to taunt the Flash, explaining that their roles have now reversed. The man who was once a hero, who represented law and order, is now an outlaw. Kendrick has the Flash moved to the maximum-security wing of the prison. The Flash is moved into a steel-door vault, flanked by armed guards and a laser grid. He’s not alone in his cell. He quickly meets his cellmate, Blok, a “massive shape posed like a roughly-hewn version of Rodin’s ‘The Thinker’ statue.” Blok explains that he was bred in a laboratory to serve criminals and has been incarcerated for over a decade. Over time, Blok has rehabilitated himself through reading hundreds of books. With nothing but time to kill, the two prisoners sit down for a game of chess when their cell door opens. Two guards have come to release them. One guard raises his helmet visor to show his true face—Doctor Occult. Doc has temporarily hypnotized the guard into following his orders and aiding them in navigating the prison. The Flash convinces Doc and Blok to help him spring Ashley from the Women’s Detention Ward. Using the same hypnotic trick, Doc makes a female guard believe he’s escorting two female prisoners. U n s u n g

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Unless otherwise noted, all photos were taken by Michael Eury on August 28, 2006.

start here!

Photo courtesy of Geppi’s Entertainment Museum.

Steve Geppi, the man with a museum.

As you exit the elevator and enter the museum lobby, vintage movie posters pepper the walls.

Also in the lobby is this rare Golden Age artifact, promoting the original Human Torch series. In the comics wing, Geppi (in the white shirt, second from right) discusses his cabinet of significant Golden Age titles. Note the original EC cover art above the display.

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Among the many items in GEM’s hallway is George Herriman’s final Krazy Kat Sunday strip, interpreted by some, as Geppi explains here, as the death of Krazy Kat. The artist knew he was dying when completing this cartoon in 1944, and passed away shortly after its publication. Framed behind Geppi is a letter of condolence from Walt Disney to Herriman’s daughter, Mabel.

Photo courtesy of Stephen Gerding of Comic Book Resources (www.cbr.com).

Also in the comics room is original artwork to Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide covers, including these Alex Ross paintings.

A touch-screen monitor enables you to read scanned copies of Action Comics #1 or Superman #1 page-by-page, with the added (and much appreciated) bonus of page-turning animation as the reader advances through the story.

CONTIN UE NEXT P D ON AGE! A rare poster for King Kong, in the hallway.

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STEWART: Really. RICH: Gluttony. Is that funny? STEWART: Well, she was popular. RICH: I can see her featured in one story, maybe, maybe two, but there were reams of the stuff! STEWART: Well, I thought— RICH: And the mountains of food! Good Lord, man! STEWART: About your own— RICH: And the belches out of her! That’s not comedy! STEWART: About Richie Rich #1… RICH: Yes. I thought we should start out slow, then branch out into other titles. STEWART: Well, you had quite a few titles. RICH: Yes, that was part of the strategy—move out slowly into the market, see what was selling, then give the public more of it. STEWART: Sure. RICH: Sound business planning. STEWART: Again, I heard that— RICH: Talent. STEWART: Talent. RICH: And popularity.

STEWART: Of course. Now, while you expanded your titles, some of your fellow Harvey characters lost some books. RICH: Again, business. STEWART: Little Dot lost most of hers… RICH: Hmmm… STEWART: Little Lotta became a secondary character in the back of Dot’s book, I believe. RICH: I’ve already stated my feelings about Lotta... STEWART: Characters like Hot Stuff, Stumbo, Spooky, and even Casper lost books. RICH: Now really! I should feel bad about this? It’s business! If people wanted their books, they would have bought their books! What they wanted was Richie Rich! Richie Rich Cash! Richie Rich Millions, Billions! Zillions! Gems! Diamonds! Bank Books, Vaults, Vaults of Mystery, Gold and Silver! STEWART: Super Richie? RICH: That was for tax purposes. In short, they wanted Richie, they got Richie! STEWART: That’s a lot of Richie. RICH: It wasn’t all me, though. I did do the team-up books. STEWART: Richie and Jackie Jokers… RICH: Great guy, a prince. STEWART: …Professor Keanbean… RICH: [laughter] Oh, yes! Nice man. STEWART: …Billy Bellhops… RICH: Good kid. I ran into him the other day! STEWART: Really? RICH: Yes. I gave him a good tip. STEWART: Cadbury… RICH: Good fellow! We were just talking about doing a new project together, soon! STEWART: …Gloria… RICH: Just friends. STEWART: Friends? RICH: She just could never get used to the whole money thing. STEWART: Uh … Reggie? RICH: Tax fraud. Should be out in two years. STEWART: I have here a document I wanted to show you before the end of this interview... RICH: Wait a minute, this wasn’t in the approved questions…! STEWART: It’s a sales statement showing millions of comics purchased by one company… RICH: What? I never agreed to this! STEWART: I have proof that that company, the R Rules Company, was wholly owned by a Mr. D. Dollar... RICH: I don’t see— STEWART: Mr. DOGGIE Dollar! Your own dog! (Inaudible remarks. Several lawyers appear as if from nowhere.) RICH: This interview is over! STEWART: But we haven’t covered Richie Rich meets the New Kids on the Block! RICH: (expletive deleted)

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Danny Fingeroth

Conducted February 2, 2006 transcribed by Steven Tice, and copyedited by Mike Carlin and Danny Fingeroth

In 1983, Marvel Comics readers were tantalized by house ads and Bullpen Bulletin notices about something called “Assistant Editors’ Month.” Based on the practice among department stores of having “assistant buyers’ months,” the idea was that the Marvel editors were out of the office at the San Diego Comic-Con and meetings in Los Angeles, leaving the assistant editors in charge. The comics that came out of this period were all over the map, some barely taking notice of the special occasion, others indulging the freedom that the assistants and freelance writers and artists allegedly had while their bosses were away. Danny Fingeroth was then the newly promoted editor of the Spider-Man line. Mike Carlin was assistant to Mark Gruenwald in the Avengers office, and was the assistants’ “ringleader.” He also wrote the AEM issue of Marvel Team-Up and a story in Daredevil that month. Danny and Mike sat down in Mike’s glamorous office at DC Comics and revealed some of the shocking secrets that were the real story behind Assistant Editors’ Month…

May Day Aunt May as Golden Oldie in a certified Carlin classic. Original cover art to Marvel Team-Up #137 (Jan. 1984), penciled by Ron Frenz and inked by Mike Esposito. Courtesy of Heritage Comics. © 2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.

DANNY FINGEROTH: So what the heck was Assistant Editors’ Month, anyway, Mike? MIKE CARLIN: Well, depending on who you talk to, it was a lot of fun or a giant fiasco. The legend I had always heard, after it came out, people looked back and said that it was Marvel’s worst-selling month ever! Hyperbole, I’m sure … but I never checked—as I didn’t want to know the awful truth. For the assistant editors, it was definitely a hoot to actually get a chance to have some fun, though I guess the reality was, we weren’t really editing regular Marvel comics. Part of the instruction was to make them a little more offbeat than they normally would be, so they would feel different. It wasn’t, like, an audition for our days when we’d be real editors, because then we would have done straight stories and really tried to cough up Watchmen or something. FINGEROTH: It might have been the first line-wide programming stunt that any company ever did, and certainly the most irreverent one. You and I both seem to remember it as [editor-in-chief] Jim Shooter’s idea. CARLIN: I think he generated it, although he might have just come across it somewhere. But Macy’s would have sales where their assistant buyers would be in charge of buying all the stuff that they’d sell. So the idea was that Jim was going to be taking all the editors out to the Comic-Con in San Diego—all the main editors were going to be out of the office at the same time—and wouldn’t it be funny if the books that came out the month that they were traveling to San Diego reflected the fact that the editors were gone. That, to him, meant that the books wouldn’t be quite normal. [laughs] FINGEROTH: That was the hype, but of course the reality was that it was the most carefully planned, plotted, and strategized stunt that we had probably ever done, up to that point. U n s u n g

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Peter Sand

erson As of August 12 of 2006, it has been ten years since the sudden, unexpected death of Marvel writer and editor Mark Gruenwald from a massive cardiac attack at his country home in Pawling, New York. He was only 43 years old, and one of the very first of the Baby Boomer generation of comics professionals to leave us. Mark was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on June 18, 1953, and his boyhood was a lot like that of his contemporaries in comics, but he had two big advantages. His father, Myron, had not only been a super-hero comics fan back in the Golden Age of the 1940s, but, unlike most parents, encouraged his son to read them, too. Not only that, Mark’s mother, Norma, worked in a drugstore with its own comics rack! At first Mark read DCs and developed a lifelong affection for the Justice League. When he was nine he saw his first Marvel comic, and at age ten one of his fan letters was printed in Fantastic Four #20. In kindergarten Mark also started writing and drawing his own amateur comics. He was on his way! He didn’t lose his passion for comics as he grew older, either. In fact, after college he moved to New York City, specifically in order to break into the comics business. To show what he could do, Mark created the most unusual of comics fanzines, Omniverse: The Journal of Fictional Reality, which took a serious approach to certain sciencefiction conventions in comics, particularly time travel and alternate universes. (Two of Mark’s heroes were Justice League of America editor Mark Gruenwald Julius Schwartz and writer Gardner Fox, who had pioneered the parallel-Earth concept in comics; they both make cameo appearances At his desk at Marvel Comics, circa 1983. in his Squadron Supreme series, and he long considered writing a All photos in this feature are courtesy of Mike Carlin. biography of Schwartz.) Now when I watch documentaries describing how scientists now believe time travel is possible, and that there may indeed be alternate universes vibrating at different rates of speed, I entries on Marvel and DC characters seem influenced by the format am amazed at how Mark’s fantasies may yet prove to be realities. Mark sent a copy of Omniverse to Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, Mark devised. Even Mark’s original Handbooks are now back in print. who hired him to be an assistant editor in February 1978. Omniverse They may be dated, yet the concept has passed the test of time. Mark’s foremost achievement as a writer of fiction may be the also brought me into Mark’s circle, as I became its assistant editor. It was Mark who is principally responsible for my career in comics. Maybe the Squadron Supreme limited series. I’ve been giving a lecture course connection between us was that I was an Ivy League academic who called “1986: The Year That Changed Comics” at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in New York City. That was the was fascinated by the DC and Marvel Universes, and year that Alan Moore’s Watchmen, and Frank Miller’s The he was very much a scholar at heart. Dark Knight Returns, and Art Spiegelman’s Maus came Omniverse led to Mark’s creation of The Official out. With that kind of competition, Squadron may have Handbook of the Marvel Universe, his encyclopedia of been underrated at the time. But in its quieter way, it too Marvel characters, alien races, gadgetry, and more. was a revolutionary work for the super-hero genre. The Handbook embodied Mark’s belief that the fictional It also predicted the future of comics. Think of a cosmos and characters created by Stan Lee, Jack storyline in which Superman and his allies, with benign Kirby, Steve Ditko, and others, and their histories, intentions, assume control over America, and Batman deserved to be taken seriously and chronicled by teams up with Lex Luthor and other master criminals to pop-culture historians. The collected biographies of overthrow their dictatorship. Squadron Supreme did the characters in the Handbooks amount to a grand this story a decade before Kingdom Come. How about compendium of Marvel’s greatest stories, all interwoven a romance between Superman and Wonder Woman? into a whole. Mark brought me aboard as a Handbook You can see it in Kingdom Come or in Miller’s The Dark writer and researcher, and I ended up writing more of Knight Strikes Again, but Squadron got there first. What subsequent versions than he did. about a storyline in which a Justice League brainwashes The Handbook and similar projects such as DC’s one of his or her own teammates? Identity Crisis did it Who’s Who were popular in the 1980s but then fell in 2005, but Squadron did it back in 1986. from favor at both DC and Marvel. Yet today, a new Years before, Roy Thomas had conceived of the generation of comics historians is compiling new © 2006 Marvel Characters, Inc. Squadron as semi-serious parodies of the Justice Handbooks at Marvel, and similar projects, like DK’s League, who inhabited an alternate Earth: Hyperion Marvel Encyclopedia and Ultimate Guides to DC and Marvel characters, and Gina Misiroglu’s Superhero and Misiroglu and was Superman, Nighthawk was Batman, and so forth. Steve Englehart Michael Eury’s Supervillain Books, likewise carry on Mark’s tradition. later characteristically introduced a political angle to stories involving The forthcoming handbook for the alternative super-hero series the Squadron. With his love of the real Justice League since childhood, Invincible is intentionally being done as a tribute to Mark. Wikipedia you can see why Mark would be eager to work with the Squadron. 4 2

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Mark for the most part dropped the parody but took the political theme much further. If super-heroes had the ability to remake the world into a utopia, Mark asked in Squadron Supreme, why didn’t they do so? Perhaps Mark was thinking of the classic “imaginary story” on this theme, “Superman Red and Superman Blue,” but the same question was asked by Alan Moore in his British series Miracleman, which was being published in America that same year. Miracleman’s utopia worked, but Moore had grown warier of the “man who would be god” when he presented Ozymandias in Watchmen in 1986. Simultaneously, in Squadron Mark asked what the price of utopia was, not only in terms of human freedom but with regard to the “hero’s” conscience. The Squadron members set out to rebuild an America that had fallen into catastrophic ruin and transform it into an earthly paradise. But step by step, after one moral compromise after another, the Squadron turn America into an Orwellian state in which even freedom of thought has been abolished. This is a parable of how the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Squadron ends with its own version of Ragnarok: a cataclysmic battle between Hyperion’s forces and Nighthawk’s, which claims the lives of former friends and allies, including Nighthawk himself. Grim and gritty that may be, but it was not morbid and despairing like so many subsequent comics. Like Samson and Oedipus, Hyperion has been physically blinded but now “sees” more clearly. As leader of the surviving Squadron members, he vows they will undo their past mistakes. Mark offered up hope for repentance and redemption, and Squadron ends not with death but with the birth of a Squadron member’s new baby, embodying the hope represented by a new generation. Still, rereading Squadron a decade after Mark’s demise, the fate of another of its members becomes even more affecting: Tom Thumb, the brilliant visionary, who foresaw his own death and could not avert it, and yet worked up until the last for the betterment of others. Squadron may be Mark’s masterpiece, but I suspect that the rest of his comics writing deserves rediscovery and critical reappraisal. He wrote Captain America for a decade, creating the memorable storyline in which Steve Rogers resigned as Cap rather than subordinate his sense of right and wrong to government superiors. In the underappreciated Quasar, Mark sought to

Worm’s Eye View (top right) Mark and Walter Simonson in the Marvel office shared by Gruenwald and his then-assistant editor, Mike Carlin, circa 1983.

No, They’re Not the Blues Brothers (middle right) Groom Mike Carlin and best man Mark Gruenwald at Carlin’s July 1986 wedding.

Mullets and Memories (bottom right) Circa 1990, a gathering of Gruenwald (standing) and his one-time assistants: (left to right) Greg Wright, Howard Mackie, and Mike Carlin. U n s u n g

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combine Schwartz-style science fiction with Marvelstyle characterization and themes. I wish that someday Marvel would reprint Mark’s creation D.P.7, the forgotten gem of Marvel’s ill-fated “New Universe” line: The character-driven saga of a community of super-powered individuals, it was like a kinder, gentler X-Men. Each of his series followed his perennial theme: the struggle of good people to do what is right in a dangerous, morally complex world. Mark literally put himself into his work. You may have heard the story that, following his wishes, Mark was cremated and his ashes were mixed into the inks used to print one of his comics. It’s no urban legend: If you own a first edition of the Squadron trade paperback, you’ve got some of Mark Gruenwald on your bookshelf. More than in the books he wrote, Mark put his, well, mark on the Marvel Universe through his role as editor. Among the 1980s classics he oversaw were Roger Stern, John Buscema, and Tom Palmer’s magnificent collaboration on Avengers; Denny O’Neil’s harrowing examination of Tony Stark’s alcoholism in Iron Man; and Steve Englehart’s inventive West Coast Avengers. Mark’s influence over the entire Marvel line grew as he became right-hand man to editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco, and ultimately senior executive editor. But being a writer and editor were only two of his many facets. Mark was an amateur actor, comedian, musician (a guitarist), and filmmaker who produced, co-wrote, and co-starred in his own public-access cable TV show Cheap Laughs. He was a costume designer, for whom Halloween seemed as important a holiday as Christmas. He was the consummate prankster, whose elaborate practical jokes became Marvel legends. Mark was also a teacher, presiding over the weekly class for Marvel’s assistant editors, imparting his thorough knowledge of crafting comics to the next generation of comics professionals. “Mark’s Remarks,” the column that Mark wrote for years in various comics, may have been a

Wrap Artist (right) Mark Gruenwald as “Weebwow: The Man from the Distant Future of the 1990s,” for a Cheap Laughs cable TV skit in 1984.

Head Cases (far right) A Cheap Laffs reunion for Mark’s 1992 bachelor party. Top to bottom: Eliot Brown, Mark Gruenwald, Mike Carlin, and Heady LaMarr. 4 4

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variation on “Stan’s Soapbox,” but now it strikes me as being a blog before the rise of the Internet. (And now it actually is on the web, at www.geocities.com/mh_prime/). He was the mastermind and master of ceremonies for “Mondo Marvel,” “Marvelympics,” and other such events at comics conventions: Marvel-themed game shows with audience participation. To Mark’s mind it was important to convey the sense to our audience that Marvel comics were fun. It was likewise important for Mark to make his coworkers feel that, too. It was hardly all fun and games during the Shooter era. But whether through parties in the office or even more elaborate parties at his home, or commissioning Marvel jumpsuits for the staff, or decorating his office like a horror movie dungeon, Mark did his utmost to keep Marvel morale high. But Mark has now been gone for ten years, and with so much turnover at Marvel, there are few people left there who knew him. But he remains alive in the memories of those of us who knew him. And he left a lot of his work with us. His Handbooks and Squadron are back in print. Mark’s widow Catherine and I would love to see a revival of Omniverse. Catherine also has Mark’s thick book of notes for his lectures to his assistant editor classes, serving as a comprehensive guide on how to create comics. And he left plenty of other unpublished material. Who knows, perhaps a Gruenwald renaissance awaits. Comics critic, historian, and teacher Peter Sanderson was the first official archivist at Marvel Comics, and is the author of several books on Marvel. He was also one of the principal writers for the original four versions of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and DC Comics’ Who’s Who. A frequent contributor to magazines about comics, Sanderson has written for Comic Buyer’s Guide, The Comics Journal, and Wizard, and is a graphic novel reviewer for Publishers Weekly. He writes the online column “Comics in Context,” a weekly series of essays on comic and cartoon art, for IGN Comics (http://comics.ign.com/).

Michael Eury

The Official Handbook of the Invincible Universe #1 and 2 Image Comics, Nov. and Dec. 2006 48 color pages • $4.99 U.S.

In the 1980s, Marvel Comics’ Mark Gruenwald catered to readers’ inner fanboy by developing the ultimate who’s who/what’s what guide to Marvel’s characters, The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe. The series continued on for years through a number of permutations, and has been recently collected in Marvel’s Essential trade-paperback format as well as revived in a series of All-New Handbooks. Artist Dusty Abell was a reader of those original Handbooks, and in their spirit has spearheaded a twoissue series debuting in November 2006 from Image Comics. “I’ve put together an homage to Mark Gruenwald’s original comic-book series from back in the early ’80s using the characters from the best super-hero comic on the stands today, Invincible,” Abell says. “It’s The Official Handbook of the Invincible Universe, an illustrated guide which attempts to detail the Invincible Universe and the diverse collection of characters in it.” A host of artists from the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s joins a lineup of contemporary names for a stunning collection of character pinups, with Jason Pearson, Dave Johnson, Herb Trimpe, Phil Noto, Ed McGuinness, Mike Wieringo, Brian Stelfreeze, Neal Adams, Rudy Nebres, and Craig Hamilton among their number. We’ll stop yapping now and let this sampling of Invincible Handbook artwork, courtesy of Dusty Abell, speak for itself...

Gruenwald’s Mark The running-character wraparound cover format made famous in Marvel’s Handbooks (and seen above in the original John Byrne/Joe Rubinstein art to Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition #7, June 1986; courtesy of Heritage Comics) is replicated in Image’s Invincible version, with cover art by Dusty Abell and Kelsey Shannon. Marvel Universe and related characters TM & © 2006 Marvel Characters, Inc. Invincible and related characters TM & © 2006 Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker.

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A close look at Newton’s astounding pencil work on a rejected cover intended for Batman #356 (Feb. 1983). In 2006, a copy of this art was inked by the late artist’s inker of choice, Joe Rubinstein, and graces our cover this issue. Batman TM & © 2006 DC Comics.

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Barry Keller

(Artwork and photographs appearing in this article are from the collections of Barry Keller, Jay Willson, and Steve Lipsky, to whom this magazine extends its gratitude. Additional original art scans are courtesy of Heritage Comics, www.heritagecomics.com.)

The Ghost Who Sits A 1973 Don Newton Phantom cover for the legendary fanzine Rocket’s Blast Comic Collector (RBCC) #106.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, a number of young comic-book artists made a mark for themselves in the growing ranks of comic fandom publications. They would quickly emerge as part of a new wave of comic artists that energized the industry with a fresh dose of exuberant talent. Most of these artists (Michael Kaluta, Berni[e] Wrightson, Jeff Jones, Dave Cockrum, Jim Starlin, etc.) spent a year or so in fandom before striking out for gold in the pros. But it didn’t always happen quite this way; it didn’t happen this way for Don Newton. In many ways, Don was not like the other breakout fandom artists. Donald L. Newton was born November 12, 1934, in the small coal-mining town of St. Charles, Virginia. After Don developed asthma at an early age his family moved to Arizona, where the hot, dry air was easier on their young son. Don grew up in the city of Mesa, outside of Phoenix. By the time he began his tenure in the world of comic-book fandom, Don was an elementary school art teacher in his mid-thirties. Don wasn’t just another in a long line of comic-fandom artists; Don was the comic fandom artist. His work appeared in over 100 issues of 38 different titles, including seven issues of The Comic Crusader, eight issues of The Comic Reader, ten issues of The Collector, and an amazing 36 issues of The Rocket’s Blast Comic Collector. Newton tried for years to leverage his connections in fandom into a job at DC or Marvel, but living in Arizona put him at a distinct disadvantage. Marvel in particular wanted their artists close at hand, and Don was unwilling to move from Arizona. For a brief period in the early 1970s, Don was an assistant to Captain Marvel artist C. C. Beck, with whom he had a tumultuous relationship (as detailed in Alter Ego vol. 3 #11, Nov. 2001), but it never resulted in actual published work. Newton finally set his sights a little lower and sent sample pages to Nicola Cuti at Charlton Comics. Where the big publishers passed on Newton, the little one was excited to get its hands on such an artistic find.

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Roy, Is That You? (below) Page 1 of Don’s last horror story for Charlton, from Midnight Tales #14 (Sept. 1975). “The character Harley Davenport looks a whole like Roy Thomas,” observes BACK ISSUE contributor Barry Keller, to which Newton friend Jay Willson adds, “Don didn’t know Roy Thomas at the time, but had seen him in The Comics Reader, Mediascene, and other industry papers, and probably would have drawn Thomas in there to attempt, in his own weird way, to get Marvel to notice him. I think that is supposed to be Roy Thomas. (It sure looks like him.)” © 1975 Charlton Comics.

Don Newton (above) A 1979 Mesa Tribune photo. CHARLTON COMICS Don Newton did his first published professional comic-book work at Charlton Comics in 1974. Though Don’s first love had always been super-heroes, Charlton didn’t publish super-hero comics in 1974, so Don drew what many artists breaking into the business drew in those years…

THE HORROR COMICS Newton’s first work for Charlton was “The Empty Room,” a seven-page horror story in Ghost Manor #18 (Mar. 1974). Don was very displeased with his art. “The way I rushed through the job, I thought they’d hate it!” Don once wrote. As it turned out, everyone at Charlton loved it. Don’s next strip, “The Treasure Seekers,” appeared in The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves #45 (May 1974). Charlton Editor Nicola Cuti wrote Don: Joe Gill and myself have been looking over your story: “The Treasure Seekers” and we felt compelled to write you a note. The craftsmanship of the art is superb. Each character is unique and interesting, not a department store manikin, and the dreariness of the swamp is unmistakable. Please continue to turn out your art on this level of quality and there is no doubt in our minds that you will soon be rising to the top of the profession. Ghost Manor #19 (June 1974) had two one-page features by Don. The first introduced the character of Baron Weirwulf and his mysterious library from which the Baron would read facts about “vampires, werewolves, monsters, UFOs, and magic.” These would appear in the pages of many Charlton comics.

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Have a comic-book-oriented DVD you want to see reviewed? Contact me care of www.andymangels.com! Welcome back to our column reviewing and previewing DVDs featuring comic-book characters translated to film and television. In this column, I’ll take a closer look at newer releases of films, TV series, and comic-related documentaries. Let’s dive right in to this DC-intensive episode…

Often held up as one of the best live-action comic-book adaptations on television, The Flash was done in by constant preemptions and time-slot moves by CBS. It’s a shame that this gorgeous, well-written series didn’t last. The crisply heightened color scheme, gloomy shadows, and even star John Wesley Shipp’s padded muscle suit have never looked better than on DVD. Unfortunately, Warner gave the DVD set exactly zero extras, an immense shame given the cool over-saturated commercials the series had and the longer cut and alternative-cast pilot in their vaults. This is still highly recommended for fans, but with regrets… DVD Extras: None. The Flash commentary track Thankfully, one fan, David Gutierrez [author of this issue’s Unlimited Powers article], approached Flash executive producers (and current Flash comic-book writers) Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo to record a commentary track for episode #22, “Trial of the Trickster.” The result can be downloaded at his website or through iTunes: www.dmgutierrez.com/podcasts.

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Adventures of Superman: Season Two / Seasons Three & Four Warner (683m /706m) In celebration of Superman Returns, 2006 is the year of Superman on DVD. These two box sets showcase the first television Man of Steel, barrelchested George Reeves. The digital restoration of the episodes brings out the details in the sets and costumes—both cheesy and noirish—while the color episodes beginning in season three almost burst off the screen. The second-season extras focus significantly on Noel Neill (Lois Lane), with two commentaries, a documentary, and the “Stamp Day for Superman” special episode. The Season 3 & 4 set’s featurettes focus on the addition of color, the special effects of the series, and an excerpt from Bryan Singer’s documentary (see below). An excellent pair of boxed sets. DVD Extras: Commentaries, Featurettes.

Superboy: The Complete First Season Warner (558m) The Boy of Steel starred in a halfhour series that ran four syndicated seasons beginning in 1988. With episodic writers such as Mike Carlin, Andrew Helfer, Mark Evanier, and Cary Bates, it should surprise no one that the shows reflected the comic-book tone, introducing Lex Luthor’s hair loss, kryptonite,

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their exclusive Limited Edition version, which has a different cover, a second disc that includes all of Singer’s “video journals” while filming Superman Returns, and five postcards reproducing original movie poster art! DVD Extras: Video Journals, Postcards (Limited Edition only).

Krypto the Superdog: Cosmic Canine Warner (110m)

Look, Up In The Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman (Limited Edition) Warner (110m) Even if it is meant as a promotional piece for Superman Returns, this documentary by Bryan Singer and Kevin Burns does a relatively strong job of tracing the Man of Steel’s roots from the pages of comics, through (almost) all of his screen incarnations, and up to the newest film. There is some wonderful archival footage and interviews, and even if you’ve seen excerpts of this on all of the Warner Supermanbased discs (or on cable television) released during summer 2006, you haven’t seen the whole doc until you watch it on DVD. Unfortunately, in its countdown LUIST ignores the 1988 CBS/Ruby-Spears animated Superman show, one of the best iterations of the hero. When buying this, you’ll want to go to Best Buy (or BestBuy.com) for

Aimed at a younger audience than most of their comic-book shows, Krypto is not without its charms, even for adults. Chief among them are Ace the Bathound and Streaky the Supercat, as well as the bizarre members of the Dog Star Patrol: Brainy Barker, Mammoth Mutt, Bull Dog, Paw Pooch, Tail Terrier, Tusky Husky, Hot Dog, and Drooly. As weird as these characters are, they actually debuted in the Superboy comics in 1966 as members of Krypto’s Space Canine Patrol Agents! A fun show; let’s hope however that Warner doesn’t dole out all 52 episodes in five-episode installments like this. DVD Extras: Guided Tour, Unaired Promo. 2006 DC Comics. © Warner Bros. Superman TM & ©

Warner (1088m)

Mr. Mxyzptlk, and other familiar elements into the show’s mythos. Superboy is much more entertaining than some historians record, and this set is great fun! The only frustrating thing is that the episode “Countdown to Nowhere” does not contain all of the same footage as the originally aired episode. DVD Extras: Commentaries, Featurette, Screen Test.

2006 DC Comics.

The Flash: The Complete Series

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DVD PLUG: Be on the lookout for Flash Gordon: The Complete Series, out now, with exclusive art postcards from Frank Cho and Gene Ha, and featuring a new documentary produced/directed/scripted by me! And for fans of Isis, she appears on the set Space Sentinels/Freedom Force—The Complete Series, also out now and featuring copious Special Features which I produced.

Dewey Cassell conducted June 28, 2006

Comic books have much in common with film and television. In many ways, comic-book artists serve as director, cameraman, costume designer, set designer, and key grip for the stories they illustrate. But few artists take the idea as far as Bob Wiacek. Bob Wiacek was born in 1953. After graduating high school, he attended the School of Visual Arts, which included instruction with legends Harvey Kurtzman and Will Eisner. After his third year of art school, Mike Kaluta got Bob an interview with Continuity Associates, run by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano. Adams looked at his portfolio and said, as Wiacek recalls, “His penciling was atrocious, but his inking was pretty nice,” and offered him an opportunity to get into the business inking backgrounds. Bob left art school and started work at Continuity as one of the “Crusty Bunkers.” He also did backgrounds for Bob Oksner, Tex Blaisdell, Dick Giordano, Klaus Janson, Mike Grell, and Wally Wood. Over the years, Bob worked for both DC and Marvel Comics. Grell took him to Vince Colletta, who was then art director for DC, and encouraged Colletta to give Bob a shot inking Legion of Super-Heroes and later Batman. Archie Goodwin was the editor-in-chief at Marvel who gave Bob his first work at the House of Ideas inking the “Guardians of the Galaxy” in Marvel Presents. He went on to ink the X-Men, Iron Man, Man-Thing, Ghost Rider, and many other titles. Bob was a contemporary of Terry Austin, Bob McLeod, Pat Broderick, and Joe Rubinstein. About being an inker, Bob says, “I didn’t want the inks to push the pencils down, but rather to make the pencils shine through my inking.” He learned his attitude toward inking from Dick Giordano, whose inks were “as beautiful on Neal Adams’ pencils as on Mike Sekowsky’s.” Bob has done some penciling as well, including a five page “Silver Burper” story written by Stan Lee that appeared in What The--?! In this exclusive interview, Bob talks about the later years of his career and his foray into acting. —Dewey Cassell

Marvel’s Muck Monster An unused Wiacek penciled-and-inked cover for the 1979–1981 volume of Man-Thing. All art in this article is courtesy of Bob Wiacek, unless otherwise noted. © 2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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Andy Mangels

[Editor’s note: While this article was originally intended for last issue’s “Big, Green Issue” theme, She-Hulk’s secondbanana status to her better-known cousin—plus her on-again, off-again publication history—also makes the Jade Giantess one of comics’ unsung heroes…] “Nerves of Steel … and a body that’s even tougher! Brigitte Nielsen—She-Hulk—A new kind of hero.” It was the summer of 1991, and hundreds of press people milled on the beach at the Cannes Film Festival, clamoring to get a photo of Brigitte Nielsen, the Teutonic film actress who had just been announced to play the role of Marvel Comics’ jade giantess in a major motion picture from New World International. Full-color fold-out brochures given out at Cannes showed Nielsen in full-body makeup, a skimpy green lamé outfit, and emerald hair teased high to the heavens. But despite its auspicious headline-grabbing debut, the She-Hulk movie was never to be. Fifteen years later, Brigitte Nielsen as She-Hulk is a comic-book trivia question … and the perfect basis for the greenest Greatest Story Never Told.

SAVAGE Although Marvel had previously protected its best interests (and trademarks) in 1977 by creating Spider-Woman—after Filmation Studios had debuted a short-lived animated heroine named Web Woman— it wasn’t until the popularity of NBC’s live-action The Incredible Hulk television series that Marvel developed The Savage She-Hulk for comic-book and entertainmentindustry exploitation. She-Hulk was lawyer Jennifer Walters, who developed her super-powers after getting a gamma-irradiated blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner. Unlike her male counterpart, She-Hulk retained her intelligence, eventually coming to enjoy her alter ego as much as—or more so than—her prim lawyer self. Although some discussions of a television spin-off for She-Hulk took place, the jade giantess had her first non-comic adventure on NBC’s animated The Incredible Hulk and the Amazing Spider-Man series in 1982. In the eleventh episode, called “Enter: She-Hulk,” her origin was briefly recounted. The character was voiced by Victoria Carroll, but was never seen again.

Red Sonja Sees Green Brigitte Nielsen as She-Hulk. Unless otherwise noted, all images in this article are courtesy of Andy Mangels. © 1991 New World Entertainment. She-Hulk TM & © 2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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SEDUCTIVE Danish-born model Brigitte Nielsen had already proven herself as an action heroine in 1985, playing Red Sonja in the movie of the same name. So when producer Tamara Asseyev was looking for a face to play She-Hulk in a proposed New World movie, the 27-year-old Nielsen seemed perfect. “Brigitte was so right for it,” says Asseyev today. “She was tall, and was hot from the Tony Scott film, Beverly Hills Cop II.” Asseyev was also comfortable with the actress, having executive-produced her in a 1989 CBS telefilm, Murder by Moonlight (aka Murder on the Moon). A deal was struck with Nielsen, but in lieu of test footage, a detailed photo shoot was put together. Asseyev recalls that the flashy She-Hulk costume was created by Trashy Lingerie on La Cienega Boulevard in Hollywood. Other shots featured Nielsen as a more proper Jennifer Walters, looking studious in a law library, while wearing a brown wig that covered her traditionally close-cropped platinum hair. While posters for She-Hulk were first spotted during the American Film Market on February 28–March 8, 1991 at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, the feature wasn’t officially launched until Cannes, from May 9–20, 1991. “We showed up at Cannes and it was incredible,” says

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