ALL-JERKS ISSUE!
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A Hero ero er ero ro History ory or ry of the e GL GL You Love ov ove v ve to Ha Hat Hate! ate! a t ! te! 1
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Namor in the Bronze Age J. Jonah Jameson Flash Thompson DC’s Biggest Blowhards Reggie ggie Mantle The Heckler Obnoxio featuring Buckler, Busiek, Byrne, Englehart, Giffen & more
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“Charlton Action Heroes in the Bronze Age!” DAVE GIBBONS on Charlton’s WATCHMEN connection, LEN WEIN and PARIS CULLINS’ Blue Beetle, CARY BATES and PAT BRODERICK’s Captain Atom, Peacemaker, Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt, and a look at Blockbuster Weekly! Featuring MIKE COLLINS, GIORDANO, KUPPERBERG, ALAN MOORE, PAT MORISI, ALEX ROSS, and more. Cover by AL MILGROM.
“Flash and Green Lantern in the Bronze Age” (crossover with ALTER EGO #132)! In-depth spotlights of their 1970s and 1980s adventures, MARK WAID’s look at the Flash/GL team, and PAUL KUPPERBERG’s Lost GL Fillins. Bonus: DC’s New York Office Memories, and Green Lantern: Ganthet’s Tale by LARRY NIVEN and JOHN BYRNE. With BARR, BATES, GIBBONS, GRELL, INFANTINO, WEIN, and more. Cover by GEORGE PÉREZ.
“DC Bronze Age Giants and Reprints!” An indepth exploration of DC’s 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULARS, plus: a history of comics giants, DC indexes galore, and a salute to “human encyclopedia” E. NELSON BRIDWELL. Featuring the work of PAT BRODERICK, RICH BUCKLER, FRANK FRAZETTA, JOE KUBERT, BOB ROZAKIS, BERNIE WRIGHTSON, and more. Super Spec tribute cover featuring classic art by NICK CARDY.
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“Bronze Age Events!” With extensive coverage of the Avengers/Defenders War, JLA/JSA crossovers, Secret Wars, Crisis’ 30th anniversary, Legends, Millennium, Invasion, Infinity Gauntlet, and more! Featuring the work of SAL BUSCEMA, DICK DILLIN, TODD McFARLANE, GEORGE PÉREZ, JOE STATON, LEN WEIN, MARV WOLFMAN, MIKE ZECK, and more. Plus an Avengers vs. Defenders cover by JOHN BYRNE.
“International Heroes!” Alpha Flight, the New X-Men, Global Guardians, Captain Canuck, and Justice League International, plus SpiderMan in the UK and more. Also: exclusive interview with cover artists STEVE FASTNER and RICH LARSON. Featuring the work of JOHN BYRNE, CHRIS CLAREMONT, DAVE COCKRUM, RICHARD COMELY, KEITH GIFFEN, KEVIN MAGUIRE, and more! Alpha Flight vs. X-Men cover by FASTNER/LARSON.
“Supergirl in the Bronze Age!” Her 1970s and 1980s adventures, including her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths and her many rebirths. Plus: an ALAN BRENNERT interview, behind the scenes of the Supergirl movie starring HELEN SLATER, Who is Superwoman?, and a look at the DC Superheroes Water Ski Show. With PAUL KUPPERBERG, ELLIOT MAGGIN, MARV WOLFMAN, plus a jam cover recreation of ADVENTURE COMICS #397!
“Christmas in the Bronze Age!” Go behind the scenes of comics’ best holiday tales of the 1970s through the early 1990s! And we revisit Superhero Merchandise Catalogs of the late ‘70s! Featuring work by SIMON BISLEY, CHRIS CLAREMONT, JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍALÓPEZ, KEITH GIFFEN, the KUBERT STUDIO, DENNY O’NEIL, STEVE PURCELL, JOHN ROMITA, JR., and more. Cover by MARIE SEVERIN and MIKE ESPOSITO!
“Marvel Bronze Age Giants and Reprints!” In-depth exploration of Marvel’s GIANT-SIZE series, plus indexes galore of Marvel reprint titles, Marvel digests and Fireside Books editions, and the last days of the “Old” X-Men! Featuring work by DAN ADKINS, ROSS ANDRU, RICH BUCKLER, DAVE COCKRUM, GERRY CONWAY, STEVE GERBER, STAN LEE, WERNER ROTH, ROY THOMAS, and more. Cover by JOHN ROMITA, SR.!
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“Batman AND Superman!” Bronze Age World’s Finest, Super Sons, Batman/Superman Villain/Partner Swap, Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane go solo, Superman/Radio Shack giveaways, and JLA #200’s “A League Divided” (as a nod to Batman v. Superman)! Featuring work by BRIAN BOLLAND, RICH BUCKLER, GERRY CONWAY, JACK KIRBY, GEORGE PÉREZ, JIM STARLIN, and more. Cover by DICK GIORDANO!
“Comics Magazines of the ’70s and ’80s!” From Savage Tales to Epic Illustrated, KIRBY’s “Speak-Out Series,” EISNER’s Spirit magazine, Unpublished PAUL GULACY, MICHAEL USLAN on the Shadow magazine you didn’t see, plus B&Ws from Atlas/Seaboard, Charlton, Skywald, and Warren. Featuring work by NEAL ADAMS, JOHN BOLTON, ARCHIE GOODWIN, DOUG MOENCH, EARL NOREM, ROY THOMAS, and more. Cover by GRAY MORROW!
“Bronze Age Adaptations!” The Shadow, Korak: Son of Tarzan, Battlestar Galactica, The Black Hole, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Worlds Unknown, and Marvel’s 1980s movie adaptations. Plus: PAUL KUPPERBERG surveys prose adaptations of comics! With work by JACK KIRBY, DENNY O’NEIL, FRANK ROBBINS, MICHAEL W. KALUTA, FRANK THORNE, MICHAEL USLAN, and sporting an alternate Kaluta cover produced for DC’s Shadow series!
“Eighties Ladies!” MILLER & SIENKIEWICZ’s Elektra: Assassin, Dazzler, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau), Lady Quark, DAN MISHKIN’s Wonder Woman, WILLIAM MESSNER-LOEBS and ADAM KUBERT’s Jezebel Jade, Somerset Holmes, and a look back at Marvel’s Dakota North! Featuring the work of BRUCE JONES, JOHN ROMITA JR., ROGER STERN, and many more, plus a previously unpublished cover by SIENKIEWICZ.
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Volume 1, Number 91 September 2016 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow
Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond!
DESIGNER Rich Fowlks COVER ARTIST Kevin Maguire COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg PROOFREADER Rob Smentek SPECIAL THANKS Cesar Alvarez Heritage Comics Mark Arnold Auctions Peter Bagge Liz Hughes Mike W. Barr Tony Isabella Cary Bates Dan Jurgens Kyle Benning Terry Kavanagh Tom Bierbaum Jim Kingman Al Bigley Gary Kroeger Craig Boldman Paul Kupperberg Jerry Boyd James Heath Lantz Tim Brown Aaron Lopresti Rich Buckler Kari Moen Bob Budiansky Tim A. Moen Kurt Busiek Doug Moench John Byrne Luigi Novi Paul Castiglia Martin Pasko Gerry Conway Beau Smith DC Comics Anthony Snyder Tom DeFalco David Sopko J. M. DeMatteis Joe Staton Steve Englehart Roger Stern The Flying Buttress Roy Thomas Raimon Fonseca Steven Thompson Keith Giffen John Trumbull Grand Comics Mark Waid Database Jamie Weinman Larry Hama John Wells Darrell Hempel Marv Wolfman Glenn Herdling
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FLASHBACK: All About Guy (Gardner) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 A hero to some, a jerk to others. With Englehart, Jurgens, Smith, and Staton FLASHBACK: Bullies and Blowhards of the DC Bronze Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Morgan Edge, Steve Lombard, Cliff Carmichael, and their ilk rub DC’s characters the wrong way BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: J. Jonah Jameson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Move over, Green Goblin and Doc Ock! JJJ is Spider-Man’s most persistent foe PRO2PRO ROUNDTABLE: J. Jonah Jameson: Hero or Menace? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Busiek, Conway, DeFalco, Isabella, Stern, and Wolfman jaw about ol’ flat-top FLASHBACK: Flash Thompson: Friend or Foe? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 The troubled life of Peter Parker’s one-time bully CONFESSIONS OF A YOUNG BIGLEY: Subby’s Disco Suit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Premiering Al Bigley’s new cartoon—with a look at the ’70s Sub-Mariner FLASHBACK: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner: Scion of the Deep or Royal Pain? . . . . 50 Why can Subby be such a jerk? Are his trunks too tight? His ’80s/’90s creators share their thoughts BEYOND CAPES: Archie’s Antagonist, Reggie Mantle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Insiders—including TV Reggie Gary Kroeger—explore the “dark” to Archie’s “light” WHAT THE--?!: Obnoxio the Clown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 This Crazy Marvel mascot might give you a legitimate reason to hate clowns FLASHBACK: The Heckler: A Jester of Justice Comes to Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 We ask Keith Giffen and Tom Bierbaum, “What’s up, doc?” with this offbeat superhero BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Reader reactions
BACK ISSUE™ is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, 118 Edgewood Avenue NE, Concord, NC 28025. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Eight-issue subscriptions: $73 Economy US, $88 Expedited US, $116 International. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover art by Kevin Maguire. Batman and Guy Gardner TM & © DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2016 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Publishing except Confessions of a Young Bigley © 2016 Al Bigley. ISSN 1932-6904. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING.
All-Jerks Issue • BACK ISSUE • 1
TM
In “Echoes” (Green Lantern #189, June 1985), written by Steve Englehart and illustrated by Joe Staton and Bruce Patterson, Hal Jordan, no longer a Green Lantern, visited the comatose Guy Gardner—once Hal’s backup in the Green Lantern Corps—at a convalescent hospital. Hal introduced himself as a former GL, and explained to Guy the common bond they shared as the “Old Guard.” Hal promised to visit Guy more often, wished him the very best, and then departed. But the readers did not, as two haunting panels focused on Guy’s faceless expression from two different angles. Had Guy understood Hal? Was he feeling anything? And then the readers turned the page to find themselves in a different setting of the story. In Justice League International #7 (Nov. 1987), written by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis and illustrated by Kevin Maguire and Al Gordon, Guy Gardner was free of his coma and now a Green Lantern in the reformed Justice League. In the aftermath of a brief confrontation that rendered him unconscious, Guy awoke and slammed his head into the bottom of a kitchen sink. The severity of the blow changed him. He became kinder, gentler, unaware of his past, prone to whistling a happy Debby Boone or Carpenters tune, complimenting his teammates excessively, and worrying over their feelings and the feelings of everyone, actually— much to the annoyance and surprise of all. It would be a while before he reverted to the personality his fellow superheroes had grown accustomed to. In “Once Upon a Time” (Guy Gardner: Warrior #0, Oct. 1994), scripted by Beau Smith with pencils by Mitch Byrd and inks by Dan Davis, Guy Gardner was physically transformed and his extraterrestrial origins were revealed as a result of a rebooted timeline. The survivors of the Vuldarian race, in an attempt to continue the bloodline of the way of the Warrior, as protectors against evil, initiated a merger of alien and Earthling whose lineage over the centuries eventually produced the perfect Warrior spawn: Guy Gardner, whose drinking of the Waters of the Warriors brought to fruition this latent destiny. Now “feelin’ pretty damn powerful,” in Guy’s own words, Gardner had a new life to fulfill.
BAD BREAKS
It’s easy to feel sympathy and pride in Guy Gardner given what he’s been through, isn’t it? The thing is, between the dramatic events of GL #189 and GGW #0, with the extended personality disorder sandwiched in-between (Justice League International #7–18), Guy Gardner was pretty much a jerk, a jerk that his fans loved to hate. Arrogant, brash, hotheaded, insensitive, conceited, obnoxious, and boasting all the qualities of a complete jerk—that was Guy Gardner, “the one, true
What a Guy! Detail from the Kevin Maguire/Terry Austin cover to Justice League #5 (Sept. 1987), the “One Punch” issue. TM & © DC Comics.
2 • BACK ISSUE • All-Jerks Issue
by J
im Kingman
Green Lantern,” as he made it quite clear to one and all throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. Yet, before Guy became a jerk, he was a good man who suffered a string of bad breaks. Introduced in “Earth’s Other Green Lantern” (Green Lantern #59, Mar. 1968), story by John Broome with art by Gil Kane and Sid Greene, it was revealed to Green Lantern Hal Jordan by his bosses, the Guardians of the Universe, that Hal was one of two potential replacements for Green Lantern Abin Sur, whose spacecraft had crashlanded in the American Southwest years before. The dying Abin Sur requested his ring to seek out a worthy replacement, a man strong-willed and without fear, and Hal Jordan, who worked at Ferris Aircraft in Southern California, was chosen over Guy Gardner, a physical education instructor residing in Baltimore, because Hal was in closer proximity to Sur. Not that Guy was aware of this at the time. Apparently, it wouldn’t have done Guy much good if he had been selected to replace Abin Sur. Information calculated into one of the Guardian’s advanced machines gave Hal a glimpse of what might have been had Guy become Green Lantern, and as it turns out Guy would have died heroically in action, thus making Hal Jordan a Green Lantern anyway. The Guardians then informed Hal that Guy was Jordan’s backup should he become incapacitated. Hal then met Guy, and the two became friends, but Hal did not tell Guy that he had almost become a Green Lantern and that Gardner was his backup. That’s three bad breaks Guy didn’t even know about. Then, in writer Denny O’Neil and artists Neal Adams and Dick Giordano’s “Beware My Power,” published in Green Lantern (co-starring Green Arrow) #87 (Dec. 1971–Jan. 1972), Guy was severely injured while trying to save a young girl in the aftermath of an earthquake. Taken to a hospital by Green Lantern, it would take months for Guy to recover from a broken
back. The Guardians wasted no time in selecting Guy’s replacement, architect John Stewart, as Hal’s backup, granting John a privilege Guy was denied: knowledge of being a GL backup and training by Hal Jordan. Two more bad breaks for Guy, literally and figuratively. Years later, in “My Ring … My Enemy!” (Green Lantern [co-starring Green Arrow] #116, May 1979), by O’Neil and illustrated by Alex Saviuk and Dave Hunt, a fully recovered and enthusiastic Guy, now aware of his backup status, became temporary Green Lantern of Earth while Hal took to a mission in space. After Guy’s successful teaming with Green Arrow, Gardner appeared to be tragically shattered and evaporated when recharging his power ring at a faulty power battery. The biggest bad break of all. Fortunately, Guy wasn’t killed, as revealed in “With These Rings” (Green Lantern [co-starring Green Arrow] #122, Nov. 1979) by O’Neil and artists Don Heck and Vince Colletta. Unfortunately, Gardner was transported to the Phantom Zone, where he was held captive and brainwashed by the imprisoned General Zod of Krypton. Guy was also able to watch helplessly and angrily as his
Ring-A-Dingbat (left) Guy Gardner’s first appearance, in Green Lantern #59 (Mar. 1968). Cover by Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson. (right) Full of himself, ain’t he? Cover to GL #196 (Jan. 1986) by Howard Chaykin. TM & © DC Comics.
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girlfriend Kari Limbo, a psychic, become romantically involved with Hal Jordan, and even witness their wedding, which was abruptly cut short when Kari collapsed. Hal learned that Guy was in the Phantom Zone, along with a beaten Superman. Guy wasn’t interested in being rescued by Hal; he just wanted to thrash Jordan for stealing his girl. Hal was able to bring Superman back to Earth. There was simply no stopping the nasty string of bad breaks befalling Guy. In “Mission of No Return” (Green Lantern #123, Dec. 1979), by O’Neil and artists Staton and Giordano, Hal made a second attempt to rescue Guy from the Phantom Zone, and he was on the verge of success when Sinestro nabbed Gardner. During the battle between GL and renegade Green Lantern Sinestro, Guy suffered further mental injury. Hal eventually rescued Guy and returned to Earth,
That’s Our Guy! An undated sketch by Joe Staton of Guy Gardner—with bowl-cut! —from Heritage (www.ha.com). (inset) The sneer of actor Tim Pigott-Smith inspired Guy’s look. Guy Gardner TM & © DC Comics. The Jewel in the Crown © Granada Television.
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but Gardner had slipped into a coma, his mind “damaged in a way I’ve been never seen before,” as the doctor told GL. Kari called off the wedding with Hal to tend for Guy, the only good break Gardner received after a devastating string of bad ones, although he didn’t know it (making it kind of a bad break after all). With that, Guy also entered comics limbo, where he would reside for years—until 1985, when Englehart and Staton replaced writer Len Wein and artist Dave Gibbons on the ongoing Green Lantern monthly, beginning with GL #188 (May 1985). Shortly after Hal’s visit with Guy in GL #189, Guy abruptly emerged out of his coma, walked out of the convalescent hospital on his own accord, and went about desecrating Abin Sur’s grave. Jordan confronted him and realized that Guy was now an angry, violent individual, intent on claiming the power he felt was rightfully his, yet always denied him. A Guardian of the Universe appeared before the battling duo and chose Gardner to be a Green Lantern and lead a mission to help save the universe, much to Gardner’s satisfaction and Jordan’s dismay. © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. “When I took over,” recalls Englehart, “John Stewart was the GL, but everybody expected Hal Jordan to come back and relegate John to backup duty once again. I decided that John deserved better, so I asked myself, ‘Why can’t there be two GLs?’ And that led to, ‘Why can’t there be more than two?’ That eventually led to the GL Corps, but along the way, I decided to resurrect the lost GL, Guy Gardner, who had been terminally bland and then braindamaged—a completely useless character, as things stood. I was being a good soldier, trying to help my friend Dick Giordano sell the book, and it turned out to be the second biggest mistake of my entire career—because ever since, DC has claimed that since Joe and I didn’t create the original Guy Gardner, our completely new take counts for nothing. If I had called the new guy Joe Smith we would have earned major royalties, but as it is, we get nothing, and we get dissed by the people we helped. So adding it all up, I wish I hadn’t done it.” Sadly, the writer and artist who took a character that was constantly being discarded and made him popular, controversial, and enduring have received their own bad break, with no royalties for the character they successfully recreated! “It was Steve’s inspiration,” Staton tells BACK ISSUE. “He had lots of really clever takes on who or what could be a GL. So maybe a human GL didn’t have to be totally heroic and idealistic, maybe he could be petty and resentful as well. Gardner had never amounted to anything and had actually been written entirely out of the book, so Steve could use him as a blank matrix to hang a new characterization on. Steve’s creation of Guy really was something new.” “I just wanted someone who would shake things up,” says Englehart. “I liked Hal and John a lot, but they, like most GLs, were fairly highminded. I wanted my new character to break that mold completely. And Joe, for his part, saw that most of the others wore basically the same outfit, and so gave him a completely new sort of uniform. Guy’s whole point was that he was completely unlike anyone before.” “I did have somebody in mind when I drew the new Guy,” says Staton. “At the time we were creating him I was following a PBS series called The Jewel in the Crown set in Colonial India. A central character was a Major Ronald Merrick played by Tim Pigott-Smith. He was a tough officer who felt he’d been denied his entitlements. I related his resentment to Guy’s and I kept him in mind for Guy’s look. Sometime, Google ‘Major Merrick’ and you’ll find shots of him face-to-face with somebody and he’ll have this nasty sneer. That’s Guy. “I did all the design work on Guy and it came organically,” continues Staton, “taking off from what Steve was giving me in the scripts. The key to Guy was the awful haircut. When the previous Guy had been abandoned in a custodial facility he was comatose, a blank. It came to me that somebody would come around periodically and give him a quick trim, a bowl cut, sort of institutional. Steve was playing off the idea that Guy was braindamaged and had the social controls of a little kid. Remember Raymond Chandler comparing Humphrey Bogart and Alan Ladd?
Alan Ladd, he said, was a 12-year-old boy’s idea of a tough guy. How would a kid design a tough superhero? Try a jacket, some straps, some studs, some clunky boots. That with the haircut and you’ve got some fascist thing going on. Of course, after Guy’s break with the traditional leotard look for GLs many others have followed in his clunky footsteps.” During the “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” which kicked off just as Englehart and Staton were starting their run on Green Lantern, a faction of the Guardians of the Universe released Guy from his coma, appointed him a Green Lantern, and assigned him to pull together a team to destroy the Anti-Monitor’s headquarters on the moon of Qward, an anti-matter universe with a lot of history in Green Lantern lore. Then it was discovered by Sinestro—of all people—that if Guy’s plan succeeded the universe would be destroyed. Guy and the GL foes he recruited were stopped by Hal Jordan and his team. Hal was soon reinstated as a GL after the death of his friend, Tomar Re, and Guy was taken to Oa for judgment before the remaining Guardians of the Universe. The Guardians, alongside the Zamorans, left Oa at the end of Green Lantern #200. While the GL Corps established themselves on Earth in Green Lantern Corps #201, Guy was deployed—he would say “banished”—to the planet Maltus under the stewardship of a former Guardian of the Universe, who had spent years on the planet fighting its overpopulation problem. Guy was put to work immediately, destroying an alien invasion intent on abducting all the planet’s women. While the Guardian pressed Guy to learn to work with the whole for the whole, Guy just wanted to be his own man, having been a vegetable for years. Guy’s first attempt to desert his post on Maltus was thwarted by the Guardian’s honor guard. In Green Lantern Corps #207, Guy abruptly arrived on Earth before the GL Corps, claiming to have been successfully trained on Maltus and released by the Guardian to lead the Corps. The Corps seriously doubted this and a fierce battle ensued between Guy and the Green Lanterns within a gigantic jungle gym conjured by Guy’s ring. On the verge of defeat, Guy disappeared. His former girlfriend, Kari Limbo, came to Hal to speak on Guy’s behalf. Meanwhile, the Guardian and his honor guard had caught up to Guy and were intent on stripping Guy of his ring and GL status. Then Hal and the Corps entered the scene to defend Guy, and they were able to persuade the Guardian to allow Guy to stay on Earth and continue on as a Green Lantern. Guy wasn’t the least bit grateful. When Kilowog of the GL Corps naively defected to Russia, Guy took on the entire Soviet Union, instigating a nuclear war the Corps had to defuse. Soon after, at the Corps’ New Year’s party (Green Lantern Corps #211), a disgruntled Guy unleashed a concoction that inebriated his fellow Green Lanterns and caused a bad reaction in GL Salaak that unleashed mentally generated monsters on the group. Fed up with Guy, Hal ordered Gardner off the team. Guy said good riddance, informing the group that he had already been invited to join a reformed Justice League. With that, Guy entered the next phase of his superhero career.
LEGENDARY CROSSOVER
The reformed Justice League came out of the Legends miniseries. In Legends, Darkseid set forth a scheme, unleashed by the wicked words of G. Gordon Godfrey, to destroy Earth’s superheroes by wrecking their reputations. The superheroes eventually prevailed, but the Justice League of America was left in ruin. A new Justice League emerged, with Batman, Black Canary, Blue Beetle, Captain Marvel, Dr. Fate, Dr. Light, Martian Manhunter, Mister Miracle … and Guy Gardner. “Rambo with a ring,” as Guy was described by Black Canary, appeared annoyed, confident, and ready to “Make somethin’ of it” on the classic cover of Justice League #1 (May 1987). Thus began Guy’s lengthy tenure in Justice League/Justice League International/ Justice League America. While writers Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis featured Guy prominently in their run on the book (#1–60), his arrogance set him apart, jeopardizing any kind of a leadership role. Guy’s being a jerk did not sit well with Batman, who in a swift, violent confrontation felled Gardner with one punch [as revisited on this issue’s cover!—ed.]. When gaining
Crowd Control A p-o’ed Guy pushes back against civilian tormentors on this original art page from Legends #2 (Dec. 1986), courtesy of Anthony Snyder (www.anthonyscomicbookart.com). Art by John Byrne and Karl Kesel. (inset) Legends #6. TM & © DC Comics.
All-Jerks Issue • BACK ISSUE • 5
by J o h n
12 • BACK ISSUE • All-Jerks Issue
Wells
From its moment of birth, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s superhero archetype struck a primal chord. Anyone who’d ever been belittled or victimized couldn’t help but feel a visceral thrill when meek Clark Kent rose to full height and took down the bullies and tyrants of the world as Superman. As the superhero genre flowered, that aspect of the concept was submerged, but Stan Lee and Steve Ditko reclaimed it with a vengeance in the 1960s’ Amazing Spider-Man series. Straddling the worlds of high school and the adult workplace, Lee and Ditko accosted teenage Peter Parker with blowhards on both fronts: jock/bully Flash Thompson and Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson. For all the considerable pleasures of DC Comics’ Silver Age, this was a basic life experience that was rarely represented in its pages. Writers like Arnold Drake and Bob Haney offered radically different approaches to the arrogant business leader—Doom Patrol’s Steve “Mento” Dayton and Metamorpho’s Simon Stagg—but recurring supporting characters designed to create conflict and comic relief were tough to find. Underneath his gruff exterior, for instance, Daily Planet editor Perry White was a beloved father figure to his staff, and the challenge of changing that dynamic was daunting. In late 1965, White was written out of the Superman series for a few months, replaced with a suave but nasty fellow named Van Benson. Superman editor Mort Weisinger immediately got cold feet and the status quo was restored (Lois Lane #62–64).
BASH BASHFORD AND NASTY
In the pages of Superboy, young Clark Kent was often taunted by bullies, but it took the departure of longtime editor Mort Weisinger from the series to make one of his tormenters a recurring character. Under new editor Murray Boltinoff, writer Frank Robbins and artists Bob Brown and Wally Wood transformed the series into a character-driven showcase for super-teenage angst. Introduced in Superboy #157 (on sale April 1, 1969), the unsubtly named “Bash” Bashford was a jock with a blond crewcut who inadvertently acquired superpowers via Superboy and let his abilities go to his head. The first story painted Bash as a general jerk, but his return in issue #161 focused directly on his harassment of Clark Kent. Snapping after his treatment at a school dance, Clark decided that he was through with the meek-and-mild routine. Negating his powers as an equalizer, the ex-Superboy beat Bash in the boxing ring and then on the football field. It was on the latter that things went wrong. Agonizing that he’d accidentally given his nemesis a near-fatal skull fracture during the game, Clark rushed to regain his abilities and fly in a brain surgeon. Properly chastened, he resolved to resume his timid pose. Eight years passed before Bash returned again at the end of 1977 in Adventure Comics #456, once again coming out the worse for his encounters with Superboy. Now played as a character who disliked Superboy (who hadn’t “earned” his powers) as well as Clark, the jock was targeted for a social experiment by aliens who made it look like the Boy of Steel had accidentally crippled Bash. Scripted by David Michelinie with art by Joe Staton and Jack Abel, it was an emotional story about power and responsibility although the final page ensured that the aliens restored Bash to normal. Reinstated in the feature, Bash stuck around as a semi-regular through its end in 1984, even picking up a crony named “Hunk” Wales along the way (1979’s New Adventures of Superboy #3). Although he never abandoned his bullying ways, Bash became an unlikely part of Clark Kent’s
Characters You Love to Hate Sources for this montage: (opposite page, top) Morgan Edge, from Jimmy Olsen #138; (opposite, middle) Steve Lombard, from Superman #264; (opposite, bottom left) Arthur B. Reeves, from Detective Comics #510; (opposite, bottom right) Harvey Bullock, from Batman #361; (this page, bottom) Ruby Ryder, from Brave & Bold #95; (middle) Cliff Carmichael, from Firestorm #3; and (top) Simon Stagg, from 1st Issue Special #3. TM & © DC Comics.
All-Jerks Issue • BACK ISSUE • 13
Crewcut Creep (top) Readers meet Bash Bashford in Superboy #157 (June 1969). (center) Young Clark Kent is hassled by Bash in Superboy #161 (Dec. 1969). By Robbins/ Brown/Wood. (bottom) Ol’ bigmouth’s lips are still flapping in Adventure Comics #456 (Mar.–Apr. 1978). By Michelinie/Staton/Abel.
circle of friends and occasionally showed greater depth of character. A holiday outing by Paul Kupperberg and Kurt Schaffenberger in 1982’s NAOS #39 found him bitterly complaining about the increasing artificiality of Christmas and the lack of peace on Earth, prompting Superboy to take him to a parallel world where things were truly worse when people stopped caring. Unlike many of Superboy’s cast members, Bash never made an appearance in the adult Clark’s world. A similar bully named Steve Power did show up in flashbacks to the hero’s college years (1972’s Action Comics #411; 1985’s Superman: The Secret Years #1–3) with a brief appearance in the present (1980’s Superman #350–351). Supergirl acquired a recurring troublemaker/stalker of her own in 1970 as writer/artist Mike Sekowsky took her series in Adventure Comics #397. Named after a classic “mean girl” in Milton Caniff’s acclaimed Terry and the Pirates newspaper strip, the modern-day Nasty enrolled at Stanhope College with the objective of rooting out the true identity of Supergirl on behalf of her uncle, Lex Luthor. Concluding that the Girl of Steel was secretly Linda Danvers, Nasty spent the next two years delivering an unceasing series of putdowns at her classmate-turnedcoworker while not-so-subtly trying to expose her alter ego. Once the Sekowsky-era cast members were written out of the feature in Adventure #424, the aptly named antagonist was never heard from again.
TM & © DC Comics.
Super-Snoop (below) Nasty’s on to Linda Danvers’ secret identity! From the Supergirl tale in Adventure #406 (May 1971). By Mike Sekowsky and Jack Abel. TM & © DC Comics.
14 • BACK ISSUE • All-Jerks Issue
MORGAN EDGE
The story was quite different for Morgan Edge, another new Superman family cast member who made his bow in Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #133 (on sale August 25, 1970). Created by Jack Kirby for the cartoonist’s auspicious first DC comic book since his jaw-dropping break from Marvel Comics, Edge was the tyrannical boss for a new generation. Watching as Marvel had been purchased by Perfect Film and DC was acquired by Kinney Services, Kirby applied the concept to the venerable Daily Planet and had it scooped up by Edge’s Galaxy Broadcasting System. As introduced by Kirby, the man with the pinstriped suit, cigarette holder, and slicked-back hair was a smooth talker who dismissed the thoughts of anyone who might dispute his wisdom. “Clark, baby, believe me,” he assured a certain mildmannered reporter regarding Jimmy’s safety while on assignment, “every contingency has been considered.” And then he placed a call to Intergang and ordered a hit on the entirely “too nosey” Kent. Morgan Edge wasn’t just a mogul but a gang boss … and one acting as an Earthly agent of Darkseid of Apokolips. Kirby, his friend and biographer Mark Evanier explained in Jack Kirby Collector #17 (Nov. 1997), “wanted to explore the theme of organized crime gaining a foothold in corporate America—particularly a giant media conglomerate. Given the shady background of the company that acquired Warner Bros. and DC, it was something of an inside joke.” Along with physically basing Edge on actor Kevin McCarthy, Kirby drew on the personality of ruthless former CBS president James T. Aubrey, even borrowing his “Smiling Cobra” nickname in Jimmy Olsen #138. Superman editor Julius Schwartz saw Edge as a means to dump the Daily Planet backdrop in favor of what he saw as a more modern alternative: broadcast journalism. When Clark Kent objected to going before the cameras, his new boss snapped, “You’re my employee—and you’ll do well to remember it! If I say you’re working for my television station, you are! Clear?” Writer Denny O’Neil also used Edge to bring a bit of Marvel-style skepticism of superheroes to the table, as exemplified in his introductory statement in Superman #233 (on sale November 5, 1970): “I don’t trust anyone who can’t be stopped. A wise man once said that ‘power corrupts … and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’ How do we know Superman will be an exception?” While respective Superman and Action Comics editors Schwartz and Murray Boltinoff liked Edge in his capacity as newsroom spoilsport, they had no interest in his gangland lifestyle. Whether they referenced his crimes or not, the character was a villain and he’d inevitably have to be brought to justice and written out of the series. The solution played out in the pages of Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane, where editor E. Nelson Bridwell had already used his unique access as Kirby’s East Coast proofreader to frequently feature Edge in his capacity as a gangster, along with other concepts. The Schwartz-edited Superman #241 and 244 set up a subplot about a mystery man imprisoned in the Galaxy Broadcasting exec’s apartment, someone who escaped in Lois Lane #118’s “Edge of Darkness” and was revealed as
the real Morgan Edge. As documented by scripter Robert Kanigher and artists Werner Roth and Vince Colletta, he had been cloned in the Evil Factory (from Jimmy Olsen #135–138) and replaced by the Intergang chieftain readers had followed for the past year. While Edge’s creator never intended for the character to be more than a singular villain, he agreed to play along. “Kirby was in on the double-Edge bit from the first,” Bridwell wrote in Lois Lane #122. “In fact, he’s the one who suggested that the fake Edge came from the Evil Factory.” By the time Lois #118 went on sale in November 1971, Kirby’s tenure on Jimmy Olsen was nearing twilight and the real Edge—per Lois #119—laid low with a motorcycle gang called the Outsiders. In June 1972’s Jimmy Olsen #152 (four issues after Kirby’s departure), the loose end was finally tied up in a story by Bridwell and Steve Skeates wherein the doubles came face-to-face and the clone was conveniently disintegrated. With the help of Jimmy and Superman, the real Morgan Edge stepped back into his life with no one the wiser. The experience should have properly mellowed the executive, but as far as the other Superman creative teams were concerned, Edge had never been cloned or affiliated with Intergang in the first
Mr. Big Shot Morgan Edge’s first appearance, in Jack Kirby’s Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #133 (Oct. 1970). Inks by Vinnie Colletta. (inset) Kirby’s model for Edge’s appearance, actor Kevin McCarthy. Art TM & © DC Comics.
All-Jerks Issue • BACK ISSUE • 15
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Watch Out, Spidey!! Excuse us while we take a quick detour into the late Silver Age to repurpose this Jazzy Johnny Romita jolter (cover to Amazing Spider-Man #58, Mar. 1968)—but how could we resist? TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
All-Jerks Issue • BACK ISSUE • 29
“PARKER! What’re you lazing around here for? Get off your tail, go out there, and get me some PICTURES! Pictures of that wall-crawling freak SPIDER-MAN!! He’s a MENACE!!!” It’s a familiar rant from a familiar character. He’s been a thorn in Spider-Man’s side since 1962. He’s been portrayed by Oscar winner J. K. Simmons, Emmy winner Ed Asner, and Darrin’s boss from Bewitched. He’s bankrolled Scorpions, Human Flies, and SpiderSlayers. He’s terrorized secretaries and fathered a Man-Wolf. He’s the cigar-smoking, mustachioed face of tabloid journalism in the Marvel Universe. He’s J. Jonah Jameson, one of comics’ most enduring—and endearing— supporting characters.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
The Bugle’s Blowhard In addition to the panels cited in this page’s text, (right) Amazing Spider-Man #18’s splash page is a classic JJJ-tauntingSpidey image. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
J. Jonah Jameson first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #1 (Mar. 1963), in Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s second-ever Spider-Man story. Appropriately enough, Jameson is first seen behind a typewriter, bragging, “When I’m through with this article, Spider-Man will be run out of town!” The Daily Bugle’s publisher stymies Spider-Man’s return to show business, urging for Spider-Man to be outlawed so the nation’s youth can “learn to respect real heroes— men such as my son, John Jameson, the test pilot!” When the younger Jameson’s space capsule malfunctions, Spider-Man saves the astronaut’s life by replacing a vital guidance unit in midair. But instead of praising SpiderMan’s heroism, J. Jonah Jameson demands his arrest, accusing him of sabotaging the capsule to steal his son’s glory. It set a formula for future stories: Spider-Man trying his very best, only to have Jameson believe the very worst. In Amazing Spider-Man #2 (May 1963), the perpetually broke Peter Parker sells photographs of Spider-Man fighting the Vulture to Jameson’s NOW magazine. Impressed with a mere teenager getting photos even his staff photographers can’t, Jameson urges Peter, “If you get any more great pictures, remember to give me first crack at them! We’re always in the market for sensational photos!”, establishing another regular element of the Spider-Man series: Jameson buying Parker’s Spider-Man pictures to fuel his anti-Spidey editorials, unaware that his freelance photographer is secretly the Web-Slinger himself. Although largely used as comic relief, Jameson revealed another side to himself in Amazing Spider-Man #10 (Mar. 1964). In a scene teased on the cover as “Why J. Jonah Jameson really hates Spider-Man!”, Jameson privately confesses (below), “Spider-Man represents everything that I’m not! He’s brave, powerful and unselfish! The truth is, I envy him! I, J. Jonah Jameson—millionaire, man of the world, civic leader—I’d give everything I own to be the man that he is! But I can never climb to his level! So all that remains for me is—to try to tear him down—because, heaven help me, I’m jealous of him!”
30 • BACK ISSUE • All-Jerks Issue
OF SCORPIONS AND SPIDER-SLAYERS
Jameson’s jealousy and hatred of Spider-Man soon lead him to extremes. In Amazing Spider-Man #20 (Jan. 1965), Jameson, hoping to create a hero to defeat Spider-Man, hires Dr. Farley Stillwell to transform P.I. Mac Gargan into the all-powerful Scorpion (above). The great power swiftly corrupts Gargan, who becomes yet another villain for Spider-Man to defeat. The Scorpion murders Stillwell, leaving only Jameson to know his true responsibility: “Nobody knows it, but it’s all my fault! I’m the one to blame! If not for me, there would be no Scorpion! Just to satisfy my own personal hatred, I tried to destroy Spider-Man! And, in so doing, I’ve unleashed a far worse menace upon the world! A menace I can no longer control! A menace which no one can control!” In “Captured by J. Jonah Jameson!” in ASM #25 (June 1965), inventor Spencer Smythe shows Jameson his new creation: a robot designed to track and capture Spider-Man. Jameson agrees to bankroll Symthe, who lets Jameson control the robot. The Spider-Slayer, as it’s later dubbed, returns in issue #58 (Mar. 1968), where we see the limits of Jonah’s obsession. When he hears the robot’s new name, Jameson immediately declares, “Now wait a minute! Nobody’s talking about murdering him! I just want him captured, see? I want him behind bars… like forever!” But just like the Scorpion before him, Smythe is overcome by his bloodlust, earning him Jonah’s enmity. Perhaps no story in Spider-Man history better displays the many facets of J. Jonah Jameson than Amazing SpiderMan #105–107 (Feb.–Apr. 1972). It opens with JJJ clashing
with civil-rights protestors in front of his building (“No one tells me how to run my paper! No one! The Bugle’s been fighting for civil rights since before you were born! But I got civil rights, too! And nobody’s messin’ around with them! Nobody!”). Six pages later, he’s sending yet another Spider-Slayer after Spider-Man, and by the end, he’s leading a demonstration against privacy-violating police scanners in the city. Bugle city editor Joe Robertson puts it best when he says, “[Jonah]’s a bug on civil liberties—‘long as they’re not Spider-Man’s!”
THE MARK OF THE MAN-WOLF!
Amazing Spider-Man #123–124 (Sept.–Oct. 1973) shows a rarely seen side of Jameson: loving father. Jonah’s astronaut son John Jameson returns from his last moonwalk with a new moonstone pendant—one that transforms him into a werewolf every full moon. When JJJ is attacked in his apartment by the Man-Wolf, he recognizes the beast’s pendant as the same one his son was wearing earlier that day. Realizing that the two are one and the same, Jameson goes into protective-father mode, forbidding Spider-Man to interfere. But even as Jameson strives for the truth (“I didn’t make the name Jonah Jameson a household word in this city by ignoring facts—even unpleasant facts”), he remains stubborn as ever, even trying to talk John down mid-transformation (“If you’re trying to tell me the reason you attacked me—was to kill me—that’s utter nonsense. You wanted my help—don’t you see that, John?”). It becomes clear that, like Spider-Man, Jonah’s love for his son is another of his blind spots. Writer and Man-Wolf creator Gerry Conway says, “I think he idealized John. Especially when the Man-Wolf storyline started up, it was very hard for him to really come to grips with that, to the extent that there was a meaningful attempt for him to come to grips with it.” [Author’s note: For more on John Jameson’s time as Man-Wolf, see BACK ISSUE #60.]
A FLY IN THE OINTMENT
In Len Wein and Gil Kane’s Amazing Spider-Man Annual #10 (1976), Jonah once again tries to create a hero to defeat Spider-Man (hey, sixth time’s the charm). He hires Dr. Harlan Stillwell (brother to the late Farley) to create “a being that can rival all of Spider-Man’s over-vaunted powers! His spider-sense! His ability to cling to walls! His speed! His spider-strength!” Fortunately, this demand dovetails with Dr. Stillwell’s current work with the common housefly. Not so fortunately, kidnapper Rick Deacon overhears and demands to be the test subject—at gunpoint. Deacon is soon transformed into the Human Fly, possessing great strength, the ability to fly and cling to any surface, and compound eyes that let him to see in all directions. But history repeats itself: The power goes to the Fly’s head, a Dr. Stillwell is killed for his trouble, and once again Jonah ends up kidnapped by a villain of his own creation that Spider-Man has to rescue him from. Some people never learn.
LOVE AND THE SPIDER-SLAYER
Amazing Spider-Man #162 (Nov. 1976) brought a momentous change to Jameson’s life—even if he didn’t know it yet. In a story by Len Wein and Ross Andru, Jonah meets Dr. Marla Madison, an electro-biologist who went into academia when she ran out of challenges. Jonah offers her one—devising a means to defeat Spider-Man! We find out how in ASM #166 (Mar. 1977)—with a newly designed Spider-Slayer controlled by Jonah through a psycho-cybernetic helmet. Spider-Man makes quick work of the Spider-Slayer, and Jonah and Marla’s relationship starts to shift from professional to personal. By Amazing Spider-Man #172 (Sept. 1977), it’s obvious that JJJ is carrying a king-sized torch for Marla Madison, and Robbie Robertson confirms that they’ve been “keeping company” ever since the Spider-Slayer incident. Marla shows her bravery in ASM #174 (Nov. 1977), using Jonah’s office intercom to reveal JJJ’s kidnapping by the Hitman. In the next issue, she confesses her affection for Jonah to Robbie Robertson while they await his safe return. It was a match made in heaven, except for Marla’s hatred of Jonah’s cigars.
Don’t Mess with Big Daddy JJJ (top) Jameson makes a stand for civil rights in Amazing Spider-Man #105 (Feb. 1972). Art by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia. Original art courtesy of Heritage. (bottom) A hairy situation for Jonah’s son, John, in ASM #124 (Sept. 1973). Cover by John Romita, Sr. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
All-Jerks Issue • BACK ISSUE • 31
From the opening splash page of Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962), Stan Lee and Steve Ditko make it clear that Midtown High’s Big Man on Campus is the bane of Peter Parker’s high school existence. Their adversarial relationship continues in the pages of Lee and Ditko’s Amazing Spider-Man, where a frustrated Peter refrains from fighting back for fear of hurting Flash and/or exposing his secret identity. Ironically, much like the classic Superman/Lois Lane/Clark Kent love triangle, Flash’s admiration for Spider-Man exceeds his antipathy toward Peter. Over the years, the two become cordial, if not exactly friendly, toward each other. Flash receives his draft notice in Amazing Spider-Man #43 (Dec. 1966). In issue #47, Flash and Peter exchange a somewhat friendly goodbye before Flash leaves for Vietnam. Flash comes home on leave a few times before returning to Vietnam in Amazing Spider-Man #83 (Apr. 1970).
THE HIDDEN TEMPLE AND RETURN TO CIVILIAN LIFE
Flash Thompson returns home from Vietnam in Amazing Spider-Man #105 (Feb. 1972) and announces that he will soon be discharged from the Army. Over the next two issues, it becomes apparent to Peter and Gwen Stacy that something is bothering Flash, who is seemingly kidnapped at the end of Amazing Spider-Man #107 (Apr. 1972). In Amazing Spider-Man #108–109 (May–June 1972), Spider-Man attempts to save Flash, only to discover that he was “abducted” by Army officials assigned to protect him. Spider-Man learns that a group of Vietnamese natives is trying to kill Flash in the misguided belief that he orchestrated the destruction of their temple. Flash is eventually cleared of any wrongdoing thanks to the assistance of Spider-Man and Dr. Strange. This story also introduces Sha Shan, a Vietnamese woman who will eventually play a big role in Flash’s life. Flash’s return to civilian life reawakens feelings of jealousy in Peter Parker, who mistakes Gwen’s concern for romantic affection. Sadly, it isn’t until Gwen’s funeral in Amazing Spider-Man #123 (Aug. 1973) that Flash assures Peter that there was nothing between him and Gwen, and that Peter was the only man she loved. In Amazing Spider-Man #138 (Nov. 1974), Peter remembers that Harry Osborn (who had taken on the mantle of the Green Goblin and discovered Peter’s secret) had destroyed their shared apartment with a bomb as part of a revenge scheme. Having no place to live, and not wanting to worry his Aunt May, Peter thumbs through his address book, asking everyone he knows if they can take in a roommate. Eventually, he’s down to one name—Flash Thompson, who readily agrees to let Peter stay with him. The two men talk for several hours before falling asleep. Peter wakes up and muses, “Well, there’s one shattered illusion of youth. I always thought if you got Flash and I alone in the same room, we’d start slugging each other. Instead we find out how much we have in common and talk each other to sleep!” Flash appeared sporadically in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man over the next two years. However, little of
Spidey to the Rescue! The Wall-Crawler saves Flash Thompson from Brother Power (no geek, he) and Sister Sun (can you guess her secret identity?) on the Bronze-bodacious Al Milgrom/ Terry Austin orginal cover to Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #12 (Nov. 1977), courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). (inset above) Detail from the Steve Ditko-drawn cover of Amazing Spider-Man #8 (Jan. 1964). TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
42 • BACK ISSUE • All-Jerks Issue
by D
arrell Hempel
note happened to him during that time. Perhaps most noteworthy (for reasons that will become apparent later), he attended the wedding of Ned Leeds and Betty Brant in Amazing Spider-Man #156 (May 1976).
SPECTACULAR, SHA SHAN, AND … CB RADIO?
On the letters page of Spectacular Spider-Man #1 (Dec. 1976), editor Gerry Conway explained the need for a second Spider-Man comic by stating that, “…the [Amazing Spider-Man] cast is one of the finest ever created in comics. Those people are real, to us and to you, and they need room to live, breathe, and develop. [Spectacular Spider-Man] is going to provide them with that room.” Flash Thompson certainly benefitted from this expansion. Writer Archie Goodman reintroduced Sha Shan in Spectacular Spider-Man #3 (Feb. 1977). However, their reunion was not a happy one. Sha Shan refuses to speak to Flash, and the mystery deepens until Spectacular Spider-Man #8 (July 1977), when Flash confronts Sha Shan, who reveals that she is married, leaving Flash to walk off dejectedly. Writer Bill Mantlo concludes the Sha Shan mystery in Spectacular SpiderMan #12–15 (Nov. 1977–Feb. 1978), a storyline that revisits the story from Amazing Spider-Man #108–109 and introduces Brother Power and Sister Sun, the leaders of a cult who are brainwashing people in Central Park. Flash recognizes Sister Sun’s voice as that of Sha Shan; she and her husband, Achmed, are working for the ManBeast, who is disguised as the Hate-Monger. Spider-Man and Flash thwart the Man-Beast’s plan with the help of Marvel’s attempt to capitalize on the then-current
CB radio craze, Razorback, a strongman from Arkansas (get it, college football fans?) who wears a pig suit, speaks in CB radio jargon, and drives a semi called “Big Pig.” In Spectacular Spider-Man #18 (May 1978), Flash declares that he has found happiness with Sha Shan, and the two begin a relationship that would last for several years.
ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS
Flash and Sha Shan made sporadic appearances in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man and Spectacular SpiderMan throughout the early 1980s. However, writer Al Milgrom introduced a subplot that ran through Spectacular Spider-Man #91–100 (June 1984–Mar. 1985) and would spell the beginning of the end of Flash and Sha Shan’s relationship. It begins when Flash admits to Peter that he is starting to resent Sha Shan’s growing independence, and that he feels like he peaked in high school. Meanwhile, Sha Shan notices that Flash is acting strangely, sneaking out of their apartment and returning home bruised and bloodied. When she expresses her concern, Flash angrily pushes her away. Sha Shan turns to Flash’s oldest friends, Peter Parker, Harry Osborn, and Liz (Allan) Osborn, for advice. Later, Flash sees Peter and Sha Shan together and irrationally blames Peter for his relationship problems. Flash’s behavior takes a seemingly ominous turn in when he meets with two tough-looking men who offer him a spot in their organization. A chance encounter between Flash and Betty Leeds becomes a close friendship; the two later enjoy a romantic dinner. When Betty questions the propriety of their actions, Flash justifies their behavior, reminding her that they are both being
Big Man on Campus (left) The classic interpretation of Flash Thompson. (right) Flash opens up to Spider-Man on this gripping page from the Stan Lee/ Romita classic, ASM #109, from the storyline that introduced Sha Shan. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
All-Jerks Issue • BACK ISSUE • 43
Imperius Rex, Prince Namor of Atlantis, better known to most as the Sub-Mariner, has been a thorn in the sides of both heroes and villains in the Marvel Universe. Whether he’s waged war on the surface world or locked horns with fellow monarchs T’Challa and Victor von Doom, the Scion of the Seven Seas has proven to be a jerk on more than one occasion. What makes this anti-hero act in such a manner? Some would say that, like Star Trek’s Mr. Spock, it’s because Namor McKenzie is of two worlds, without really belonging to either. Others might tell you he just has too much water on the brain. This article will explore the SubMariner’s career in his Marvel comics of the 1980s and 1990s as we discover the motivations for the character’s behavior.
BOTH SIDES OF THE SEA
Unlike most comic-book heroes created in the Golden Age, Prince Namor didn’t combat robbers, corrupt politicians, or murderers. Seeing the unintentional death and destruction of his underwater realm caused by surface dwellers, the Sub-Mariner waged war on his father’s half of his dual bloodline. This made most humans believe he was an arrogant villain. Even John Byrne admitted in his Byrne Robotics forum that the Sub-Mariner was, in the writer/artist’s words, an “egotistical creep” in the days before World War II. However, with the shadow of Hitler looming over Atlantis, the Scion of the Deep allied himself with Captain America and the original Human Torch as the Invaders, the team of heroes named by Sir Winston Churchill. Prince Namor has been on both sides of the sea, so to speak. This behavior went on throughout Namor’s career in comics beyond the Golden Age. His Silver Age revival saw him battle the likes of the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and the X-Men, while teaming up with Dr. Doom, Magneto, and the rampaging Hulk. At the same time, the Sovereign of the Seven Seas was defending both Atlantis and the surface world from such villains as the Puppet Master and the Atlantean warlord Krang. As the Bronze Age dawned, Roy Thomas and other comic-book creators had the SubMariner working together with Dr. Doom in Super-Villain Team-Up, and Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, and the Incredible Hulk in The
Avenging Son Covers for three Subby first issues from the ’80s and ’90s: (front) the Bob Budiansky/ Danny Bulanadi for Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #1 (Sept. 1984), plus The Saga of the Sub-Mariner #1 and Namor #1, discussed later in this article. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
50 • BACK ISSUE • All-Jerks Issue
TM
by J a m e s
Heath Lantz
Defenders. Subby also appeared in virtually every Marvel publication throughout his fascinating life. He even became an Avenger, with much public controversy within the tales told. (For more on the Sub-Mariner’s adventures and changing friendships with the various Marvel characters in the Bronze Age, check out BACK ISSUE #27, 37, 65, and 66.)
Whose Side Are You On, Subby? House ad for the 1984 miniseries Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
TORN BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
The year 1984 saw Apple’s Macintosh computer go on sale to the public for the first time. Pop star Michael Jackson was burned while you to peel back the layers of the psychological onion a bit more, filming a Pepsi commercial. Bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger get under a character’s skin, into his or her heart. I never really had a dominated cinema box offices in The Terminator and Conan the chance to do that with Namor in The Defenders.” Destroyer. Marvel Comics produced the first of a 12-issue maxiseries As with Ghost Rider, Bob Budiansky had a hand in co-plotting Prince that would influence most of the company’s characters and universe, Namor, the Sub-Mariner with DeMatteis. He describes to BACK ISSUE Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars. how it was collaborating with While heroes like Captain DeMatteis on both titles: America, Spider-Man, and the “I think both experiences Hulk fought such evildoers as were fairly similar—Marc would Dr. Doom, the Absorbing Man, typically map out the story arc, and the Lizard on Secret Wars’ discuss it with me, I’d give him Battleworld, Prince Namor was feedback, maybe come up with extremely busy on Earth with a few extra plot twists and turns, the people from both halves and suggest some scenes that of his bloodlines. The team of might juice up the story visually. J. M. DeMatteis (co-plotter and Perhaps the only difference was, scripter) and Bob Budiansky Marc had this four-issue story (co-plotter and art), fresh off the arc more nailed down than recently canceled Ghost Rider, some of the Ghost Rider stories co-produced the four-issue we worked on together, so I Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner think I contributed less to the limited series (Sept.–Dec. 1984). Sub-Mariner plots.” While more than three decades Budiansky also did the have passed since it was artwork and covers for Prince released, both DeMatteis and Namor, the Sub-Mariner. It Budiansky reminisced with BACK wasn’t an easy task for him. ISSUE about working together. While drawing Prince Namor, “I’m pretty sure it was Marc’s Marvel had given him a full[J. M.’s] idea,” Budiansky says. time position as an editor. This “The idea might have come didn’t allow him to devote as from the book’s editor [Tom much time as he had wished DeFalco]. Marc and I had just for his penciling assignments. finished our run on Ghost Budiansky tells BACK ISSUE Rider, so we were excited to that he felt this was evident find another project to work in Prince Namor. He did, on together.” however, like the covers. He DeMatteis tells BI, “Keeping also shares with BI that all four in mind that this was a long cover images form a larger time ago, I suspect that, one: “If you arrange them so because Bob Budiansky and that #1 and 2’s form the top I enjoyed working on Ghost row from left to right and #3 Rider together, we wanted to and 4’s form a second row do something else after that directly below 1 and 2, the series was canceled. Tom covers form one connected DeFalco edited both series, so image. You’ll see elements I’m guessing we came up with of one cover extend into the the Prince Namor idea, took it to adjacent cover. I also colored Tom, and he said yes. All I really the covers, although I did not remember is having a great time color them so that coloring collaborating with Bob. We’d get on the phone, start continued from one cover to the next.” talking, and the stories would come so easily. We had DeMatteis and Budiansky tell a tale of Prince Namor a fantastic rapport, personally and professionally. It was coming to terms with both the human and Atlantean a pleasure working with him.” halves of his bloodline. At the same time, readers see Prince Namor editor Tom DeFalco adds, “It is possible the impetuous nature that has made Subby act like that I suggested an idea [about the miniseries’ plot]. a jerk at various times in numerous comic books. The I often shared ideas with other creators. However, even restless monarch takes it upon himself to embark if I did come up with the initial idea, J. M. and Bob did on a diplomatic mission to the surface world’s all the heavy lifting and should get all the credit.” United Nations in New York City while rebellion DeMatteis was no stranger to writing adventures rocks Atlantis. Attacks on both the underwater and featuring the Avenging Son of Atlantis, having penned © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. surface realms occur. The Sub-Mariner’s absence in The Defenders #62–131. Many of those issues starred Namor. However, the former leads his advisors to believe he is no longer fit to sit upon DeMatteis had a chance to work more with the character in a solo the Coral Throne. Among the culprits responsible for the aggressions series. “It’s always different writing a character in a solo series as are the Atlantean shapesifter Proteus, the twin giants and Otus and opposed to a group book,” he tells BACK ISSUE. “The solo stories allow Ephialtes, and female royal guard-turned-insurrectionist Dragonrider. All-Jerks Issue • BACK ISSUE • 51
THE BIG QUESTION
I’m Too Sexy for My Shirt Original cover painting by Lou Harrison for the final Namor, the Sub-Mariner Annual, #4 (1994), courtesy of Heritage. The issue’s main story featured Subby’s struggle against Baron Strucker and Hydra. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.
With this being the “All-Jerks” issue of BACK ISSUE, one question was asked to the creators involved in the Bronze Age adventures of the Sub-Mariner. What makes the Emperor of the Deep act like a jerk? “He was raised as a prince,” Roy Thomas says, “And he discovered, as he grew to manhood, a grudge against the human race.” J. M DeMatteis adds, “He’s a prince, treated from birth as almost god-like, with all the built-in arrogance that goes with the territory. And he had serious anger issues. (If there are anger-management classes for superheroes, Namor is a prime candidate.) Seems like a good recipe for occasional jerkiness. That said, Namor is, at heart, a noble, self-sacrificing guy, and his flaws are what make him relatable. The fact that he’s not pure and perfect makes him more like the rest of us.” “I think perhaps what you refer to as ‘jerk’ behavior can otherwise be characterized as the arrogance and conviction that comes from being the monarch of a civilization that is very different than our own,” opines Bob Budiansky. “His passion for protecting his people from the predations and insensitivity of we, the surfacedwellers, direct his actions all too frequently, and perhaps some of his more aggressive actions against the human race could make one think he is acting like a jerk. It all depends on your viewpoint—from above or below the ocean’s surface.” “I do not consider Namor a jerk,” Tom DeFalco states. “He is someone who is firmly committed to a singular
vision. He never lets anyone or anything get in his way.” “I suppose the obvious answer is his royal arrogance,” states Terry Kavanagh, “probably an issue with anyone who’s been raised as a supreme monarch. But I think on a personal level, Namor always felt like an outsider in both worlds—above and below the waves—so he unconsciously chose to push people away before they could push him away. (Remember, he’s considered the first mutant.) That’s why he responded so strongly to Sue Storm’s understanding and compassion for him.” “John Byrne attempted to explain it in his first issue of Namor,” says Glenn Herdling. “It had something to do with him being of both surface and Atlantean heritage and that he had to return to the water at regular intervals or he’d start experiencing something similar to road rage. I’m not sure I ever bought into that explanation. I just thought it was his nature to be a bit of a jerk. Here we have someone who’s king of a continent, but he’s also a freak and an outcast among his own kind. But when he tries to dwell among humans, he’s no less freaky. Another thing that makes him a jerk is his innate sense of adventure. Namor cannot sit idly upon a throne and call the shots when he knows that he’s the one with the power to make things happen. But whenever he leaves the throne in someone else’s care, Atlantis falls apart. That sense of failed responsibility is enough to drive anyone nutty.” Yes, Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner may or may not be a jerk, depending on your point of view. However, one thing is certain: Marvel’s first anti-hero continues to be a part of numerous titles such as Uncanny X-Men, New Avengers, and All-New Invaders to this day. The Prince of the Seven Seas has even had major roles in the crossovers as “Civil War” (2007), “Dark Reign” (2009), and “X-Men: Curse of the Mutants” (2011). The latter event featured the first four issues of the 2011 series Namor, the First Mutant as chapters. While that book and its predecessors Namor (2003–2004) and Sub-Mariner (2007–2008) didn’t last as long as Subby’s 1968–1974 and 1990–1995 outings, they showed readers that the Avenging Son of Atlantis is a force to be reckoned with. Check out all of the more than seven-and-a-half decades of the Sub-Mariner’s adventures in paper format at your local comic shop or digitally on Comixology. They pack a wallop and then some. Dedicated to my beautiful and wonderful Queen of the Seven Seas, Laura; Pupino and the rest of our four-legged Imperius Rexes; my nephew Kento—who blew the horn that brought Giganto to the surface world; plus Roy Thomas, J. M. DeMatteis, Bob Budiansky, John Byrne, Jae Lee, the late Bill Everett and Steve Gerber, and all the creators past and present who still continue to make Atlantis and her Avenging Son rise from the depths in numerous Marvel comic books. May Neptune always guide and protect you. JAMES HEATH LANTZ is a freelance writer who was heavily influenced by television, film, old time radio shows, and books—especially comic books—growing up in Ohio. He’s co-authored Roy Thomas Presents Captain Video with Roy Thomas. He also wrote the introductions for Pre-Code Classics: Weird Mysteries vols. 1 and 2 and Roy Thomas Presents Sheena– Queen of the Jungle vol. 3 (PS Artbooks), self-published his Trilogy of Tales e-book (Smashwords. com), and reviews various media for Superman Homepage and Nerd Underground while serving as editor for the Fantasy Line of comics for Affinity Press. James currently lives in Italy with his wife Laura and their family of cats, dogs, a turtle, and humans from Italy, Japan, and the United States.
62 • BACK ISSUE • All-Jerks Issue
TM
by S
teven Thompson
What a Jerk! Archie’s about to become the coolest (and wettest) guy in Riverdale! Dan DeCarlo original cover art to Reggie Wise Guy Jokes #7, from the Heritage Archives, colored by Rich Fowlks. TM & © Archie Comic Publications, Inc.
For going on 75 years, Reggie Mantle is one of the longest-running, surprisingly nuanced jerks in the history of comics. Reggie exists as the dark side to Archie Andrews’ light. He was introduced way back in 1942 and shown from the beginning as a rich kid rival for Arch in sports, school, and most particularly romance. In every form of literature, every protagonist must have an antagonist, and in redheaded everyteen Archie’s case, Reggie is most definitely it. His opposite number. His Lex Luthor. His Moriarty. While Archie himself is a clear riff on radio’s Henry Aldrich and the movies’ Andy Hardy, neither of those two nice guy teens ever had a “Reggie.” Oh, there were occasional bullies and friends who tried to put something over on those high school heroes, but there was no regular character performing that all-important role that Reggie was born to fill in Riverdale. Although never known for its tight continuity, Archie Comics has kept its perennially 16- and 17-year-old
characters recognizable to each succeeding generation for three quarters of a century now. Archie Andrews is middle class, nice, friendly, helpful, a good athlete, an okay student, klutzy, love struck, a good son, and a good friend. Reggie Mantle is a good athlete, comes from a well-off but not-quite-rich family, has a definite sense of privilege, is a bit of a masher, is a world-class practical joker, and a major narcissist. What Reggie is not is a bad guy. Not really. Well … not thoroughly, anyway! “I’m proud of my reputation as a thorough nogoodnik,” he says. Through the decades, though, he’s shown over and over to have quite a bit of compassion underneath his haughty exterior. Again and again, Reggie is presented as a close friend of Archie when the two of them aren’t fighting over female affections. The two constantly insult each other much of the time, but Reggie’s mouth is most likely a way to cover up his own insecurities, something even he seems to realize sometimes. All-Jerks Issue • BACK ISSUE • 63