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“Super Teams” issue! The history of the BRAVE AND THE BOLD, including a JIM APARO interview and a tribute to writer BOB HANEY! FANTASTIC FOUR: Past and present contributors from STAN LEE to MARK WAID share their unique insights into Marvel’s fab four! DNAgents: MARK EVANIER and WILL MEUGNIOT discuss their fondly remembered 1980s series, featuring a stunning gallery of Meugniot’s artwork! GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD: DC’s TEEN TITANS SWINGIN’ ELSEWORDS and SUPER-SONS, and Marvel’s SANTA CLAUS, with art by JAY STEPHENS, NICK CARDY, KIERON DWYER, and JOHN ROMITA, SR.! PLUS: DENNY O’NEIL on super teams, a guided tour of Metropolis, Illinois (the “home” of Superman), art and contributions by DICK GIORDANO, RAMONA FRADON, MIKE W. BARR, NEAL ADAMS, NICK CARDY, JACK C. HARRIS, CARY BURKETT, BOB BROWN, WALT SIMONSON, TOM DeFALCO, ROGER STERN, TERRY AUSTIN, BILL SIENKIEWICZ, STEVE RUDE, MOEBIUS, GEORGE PÉREZ, and others. Cover by CURT SWAN and MURPHY ANDERSON!
Citation preview
T H E U L T I M A T E C O M I C S E X P E R I E N C E !
December 2004
No.7$5.95
December 2004
No.7$5.95
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Celebrating the
Best Comics of the
'70s, '80s, and Today!Celebrating the
Best Comics of the
'70s, '80s, and Today!
PRO2PRO
superteamspencil
art
evanier &meugniot’s
dnagents
SUPERMAN, BATMAN, AQUAMAN, SPECTRE,AND PHANTOM STRANGER TM & © 2004 DC COMICS.FANTASTIC FOUR AND CLOAK AND DAGGER TM & © 2004 MARVEL CHARACTERS, INC. DNAGENTS TM & © 2004 MARK EVANIER AND WILL MEUGNIOT
ROUNDTA
BLE
21creatorsdiscuss
thef f
FLASHBACK
the Brave
& the Bold
jim aparo
ROUGH
STUFF
It’s our
super TEAMsissue!
Volume 1, Number 7December 2004
Celebrating the BestComics of the '70s, '80s,and Today!
EDITORMichael “Brave and Bold” Eury
PUBLISHERJohn “Two-in-One” Morrow
DESIGNERRobert “World’s Finest” Clark
PROOFREADERSJohn Morrow and Eric Nolen-Weathington—in one issue together!
SCANNING AND IMAGE MANIPULATIONRich “Super Friend” Fowlks
COVER ARTISTSCurt Swan and Murphy Anderson
COVER COLORISTMurphy Anderson III
BATMAN CREATED BY BOB KANE
SUPERMAN CREATED BY JERRY SIEGELAND JOE SHUSTER
SPECIAL THANKS
The Ultimate Comics Experience!
Jason AdamsNeal AdamsMurphy AndersonJim AparoTerry AustinMike W. BarrSpencer BeckJerry BoydTom BrevoortJune BrigmanRich BucklerMike BurkeyCary BurkettKurt BusiekJohn ByrneNick CardyChris ClaremontDave CockrumGerry ConwayDon CornTom DeFalcoMike DunneKieron DwyerSteve EnglehartRic EstradaJohn EuryMark EvanierRamona FradonMarguerite Haney
FrenchKerry GammillDick GiordanoGrand Comic-Book
DatabaseDavid HamiltonWallace HarringtonJack C. HarrisRuss HeathHeritage ComicsCarmine Infantino
Dan JohnsonRandy KerrKarl KeselChris KhalafScott KressJoe KubertStan LeeRick LeonardiPaul LevitzWillie LumpkinAndy MangelsWill MeugniotMoebiusCookie MorrisBrian K. MorrisDennis O’NeilJerry OrdwayGeorge PérezAdam PhilipsJohn Romita, Sr.Alex RossSteve RudeRose Rummel-EuryPaul RyanJim ShooterBill SienkiewiczWalter
SimonsonJoe SinnottJ.E. SmithJay StephensRoger SternRoy ThomasAlex TothGeorge TuskaMark WaidLen WeinMarv Wolfman
S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e • B A C K I S S U E • 1
EDITORIAL ............................................................................................................................................................ 2A salute to B&B and Teen Titans writer Bob Haney
FLASHBACK: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD ............................................................................. 3The history of DC’s much-more-than-just-a-team-up title
FLASHBACK BONUS: THE BRAVE, THE BOLD, AND THE BOB ........................ 21Bob Haney, through the eyes of Mike W. Barr
PRO2PRO MINUS 1: JIM APARO INTERVIEW................................................................... 23The Bat-artist supreme looks back on his Brave and Bold days
THE ULTIMATE TEAM-UP GUIDE................................................................................................. 28A checklist of B&B, Marvel Team-Up, and other team-up titles
ROUGH STUFF: SUPER TEAMS ...................................................................................................... 32Pencil art by Brigman, Byrne, Cockrum, Gammill, Heck, Infantino, Leonardi,Newton, Robbins, Ross, Swan, and Toth
THE GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD: TEEN TITANSSWINGIN’ ELSEWORLDS (AND THE SUPER-SONS)................................................... 44Jay Stephens talks Titans and Bob Haney, daddio! With unpublished art
PRO2PRO ROUNDTABLE: FANTASTIC FOUR .................................................................... 47The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine, as seen by 21 top creators
PRO2PRO INTERVIEW: MARK EVANIER AND WILL MEUGNIOT ................... 62The writer and artist recall DNAgents, with tons of juicy Meugniot artwork
OFF MY CHEST: DENNIS O’NEIL.................................................................................................. 74A guest editorial on the perils of writing super teams
BACKSTAGE PASS: METROPOLIS LIVES! ............................................................................. 76BACK ISSUE’s guided tour of the “home” of Superman
GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD STOCKING STUFFER........................................ 80Marvel’s Santa Claus, plus Christmas comics of the ’70s and ’80s
DVD BACK ISSUES, PART TWO..................................................................................................... 81Our checklist of comics-to-film-to-DVD titles continues
BACK TALK ....................................................................................................................................................... 88Reader feedback on issue #5
BACK ISSUE™ is published bimonthly by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury,Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. BACK ISSUE Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor, 5060A Foothills Dr., LakeOswego, OR 97034. Email: [email protected]. Six-issue subscriptions: $30 Standard US, $48 First Class US, $60 Canada, $66Surface International, $90 Airmail International. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT tothe editorial office. Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Spectre, Phantom Stranger, Brave and the Bold, and Teen Titans TM & © 2004DC Comics. Fantastic Four TM & © 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc. DNAgents TM & © 2004 Mark Evanier and Will Meugniot.All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2004Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Publishing. BACK ISSUE is a TM of TwoMorrows Publishing. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING.
All for one, andone for all!
It’s our
super TEAMsissue!
The Brave and the Bold wasDC Comics’ most influential seriesof the Silver and Bronze Ages.
There. I said it.
You can stop laughing now.
It’s easy to dismiss The Brave and the
Bold as “that Batman team-up” comic
—that was its role for almost two-thirds
of its 200-issue run (1955–1983).
Granted, the words “brave and bold”
have become synonymous with the
team-up concept: DC has twice
by Michae l Eury
Titans,Tryouts,and Team-UpsTitans,Tryouts,and Team-Ups
“When all else has fadedand been forgotten in thevast cave of time-one thingalone survives-brave mendoing bold deeds! Thisalone endures!”
Opening caption by writer Bob Haney“Hell is for Heroes”The Brave and the Bold Special(DC Special Series) v. 2 #8 (1978)
S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e • B A C K I S S U E • 3
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revived the title, as miniseries, to unite some of its
heroes, with a proposed relaunch as a monthly series
written by Kevin Smith hanging in limbo as of this
writing; writer Dwayne McDuffie’s “The Brave and
the Bold” Justice League Cartoon Network two-parter
involved a Flash/Green Lantern pairing at its story
core; and The Brave and the Bold, a 2002 Star Trek
novel by Keith R.A. DeCandido, was a generations-
spanning epic involving characters from three
different eras.
But The Brave and the Bold was much more than
the DC Comics equivalent of a buddy movie. The
title was the source of several phenomenally impor-
tant comic-book milestones that make my audacious
opening claim not so far-fetched after all:
! It was the launch pad for the perennially
popular Justice League of America, the concept
whose success spawned golf-course bragging
rights from DC’s publisher to Marvel’s publisher,
and inspired the latter to mandate his editor to
create a super-team comic, that series being
Fantastic Four;
! It was the original home of the Teen Titans,
a team that has endured through myriad
incarnations, the most recent of which being an
extremely successful, widely merchandized TV
cartoon;
! It was the title where Neal Adams, the extraordi-
nary illustrator who almost single-handedly ele-
vated comics art to a new level, first began to
visually transform Batman from a wisecracking
Caped Crusader to a fearsome creature of the night;
! It was where Green Arrow first stepped out of
the long-standing stigma of his “Batman with a
bow” second-string status by appearing in his
bearded, more dynamic look (which he still
sports today); and
! It was the first series where Jim Aparo, who
would ultimately emerge as one of the great Bat-
artists, got to try his hand at drawing the Dark
Knight.
The Brave and the Bold also unveiled the lauded
Silver Age revival of Hawkman and the introduction
of oddball hero Metamorpho, the Element Man; and
ended its impressive run of nearly three decades with
the inaugural appearance of Batman and the Outsiders,
a group that would spin off to star in one of DC’s
bestselling titles of the 1980s. And along the way, The
Brave and the Bold hosted meetings of everyone from
the Flash and the Doom Patrol to Aquaman and the
Atom to Batman and . . . just about everybody.
In its capacity as comics’ premier team-up title,
The Brave and the Bold further proved its mettle by:
! becoming DC’s first “entry level” series, afford-
ing lesser-known characters a larger audience by
riding piggyback on a more visible main star,
mostly fan-favorite Batman; and
! offering exposure to “homeless” heroes not cur-
rently seen in their own features (for a time, it was
the only place you could encounter Aquaman, the
Teen Titans, and the Metal Men).
B&B 101The Brave and the Bold—affectionately known to its
readers as B&B—got its start in 1955 as a “high
adventure” title, appropriating its name from
Horatio Alger, Jr.’s novel, Brave and Bold or the
Fortunes of Robert Rushton (interestingly, a 1956 war
movie titled The Bold and the Brave earned an Oscar
nomination for actor Mickey Rooney). Edited by DC
stalwart Robert Kanigher, B&B was home to short
stories starring a trio of swashbucklers: the Viking
4 • B A C K I S S U E • S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e
1955
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1959B&Bpremieresas adventureseries.
Tryout formatbegins withSuicide Squadin #25.
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Firstappearanceof JLAin #28.
1960
timel
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The
Brav
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From B&B #1(1955)
(above right)
A beautiful Russ
Heath-drawn
splash page. Courtesy
of Heritage Comics.
HawkmanReturns
(below right)
From B&B #34
(1961). Art by
Joe Kubert. Courtesy
of Heritage Comics.
© 2004 DC Comics.
Prince (illustrated by Joe Kubert), the Silent Knight
(drawn by Irv Novick), and the Golden Gladiator
(with art by Russ Heath), the latter of which soon
vacated the series to be replaced by Robin Hood.
Editor Kanigher was the series’ chief scribe, although
he was abetted at times by authors France Herron, Bill
Finger, and the writer who would eventually become
closely associated with B&B, Bob Haney (more—much
more—on him later). Some of these brilliantly illus-
trated tales have occasionally resurfaced in various
DC reprints, most notably DC Special #12 (May–June
1971), headlined by Kubert’s Viking Prince.
By the end of the 1950s, the successful reintro-
ductions of the Flash and Green Lantern in DC’s
Showcase prompted a change in B&B’s format:
Beginning with issue #25 (Aug.–Sept. 1959), The
Brave and the Bold parroted Showcase as a tryout series,
with DC ambitiously looking for the next big
thing(s). First out the gate was the Suicide Squad,
another brainchild of Kanigher’s, a war/spy series
that floundered through a trio of appearances. The
Squad was followed in issue #28 by a concept that
would prove to be one of DC’s greatest triumphs: the
Justice League of America (JLA), edited by Julius
Schwartz. Three issues of B&B was all the JLA needed
to promptly graduate into its own title, with another
Kanigher creation, “Cave Carson – Adventures Inside
Earth,” following for three forgettable issues.
Schwartz returned with B&B #34’s Hawkman rebirth,
written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Joe Kubert.
After a successful three-issue run, Hawkman was seen
again in issues #42–44 before taking wing in his own
series. But the Justice League and Hawkman aside,
B&B was not proving to be a hitmaker like Showcase:
The Suicide Squad came back, then disappeared, as did
Cave Carson. Schwartz eagerly infused athletic com-
petition with his passion
for science fiction and
concocted the utterly
bizarre anthology Strange
Spor ts Stor ies , which
included everything from
phantom pugilists to a
gorilla baseball team, but
despite a five-issue spot-
light in issues #45–49,
this series struck out
with readers.
Maybe DC didn ’t
need two tryout titles,
the thinking presumably
went . And so , com-
mencing in 1963 with
issue #50, The Brave and
the Bold changed its
format yet again.
“TWO GREAT HEROES-TEAMED INA BOOK-LENGTHBLOCK-BUSTER. . .”Green Arrow and the
Manhunter from Mars
joined forces in B&B #50,
their logos (actually, fac-
similes thereof) appearing
side-by-side on the cover,
marking the first-ever
super-hero team-up comic
book.
S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e • B A C K I S S U E • 5
1964First appearanceof Teen Titans in #54.
First appearance ofMetamorpho in #57.
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1963B&B #50launchesteam-upformat.
1961First appearanceof Silver AgeHawkmanin #34.
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Aparo’s All StarsA recent commissioned
illo by Jim Aparo.
Courtesy of Spencer Beck
(www.theartistschoice.com).
© 2004 DC Comics.
Undetected CoverAn unused Aparo
cover intended for
Detective Comics
#481 (1978). Courtesy
of Mike Burkey
(www.romitaman.com).
© 2004 DC Comics.
Pop quiz for the B&B junkie: Who appeared mostfrequently with Batman in The Brave and theBold? No, not Green Arrow, but artist Jim Aparo,whose versatility with drawing a host of heroicco-stars dazzled readers for almost 100 issues. Myoriginal goal with this “Pro2Pro” was to moderatean interview between B&B’s team supreme,Aparo and writer Bob Haney, but Mr. Haney’srecent illness (see editorial) unfortunately madethat impossible. But a solo chat with the amiableMr. Aparo is far from settling for second best, soread on as one of Batman’s premier illustratorsshares his recollections on his unparalleled tenureas the tsar of team-ups.
–Michael Eury
inte
rvie
wby
Mic
hael
Eury
cond
ucte
don
May
24,2
004,
and
tran
scrib
edby
Bria
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Mor
ris.
MICHAEL EURY: You came to DC Comics at the invita-
tion of Dick Giordano, who was your editor at Charlton
Comics before he was hired by DC.
JIM APARO: Dick was a really good friend of mine. He
still is. He hired me at Charlton. We’re about the same age,
we had the same amount of children—two daughters
and a son; we were duplicate copies, you know?
EURY: Your first issue of The Brave and the Bold was #98,
teaming Batman with a character whose book you were
drawing at the time: the Phantom Stranger. But you didn’t
draw the next issue of B&B. Was the Phantom Stranger
team-up originally a one-time event, or did editor Murray
Boltinoff have you in mind to permanently take over
the strip?
APARO: I believe it was just for that one issue. But I liked
drawing Batman and Murray was satisfied with the work
I did, and brought me back permanently [beginning with
issue #100].
EURY: What approach did you bring to Batman that was
different from that of Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, Irv Novick,
and the other Bat-artists of the day?
APARO: Not much. Neal, of course, was one of the big
stars of Batman. I know we all looked at him on how to
draw Batman. Yeah, Neal was quite a help. Not personally,
but his style of art. Now he’s in advertising, I think.
EURY: That’s true.
APARO: I was in advertising before I got into comics. I
worked in an outfit in West Hartfort, Connecticut. I was
one of the artists on the advertising staff.
EURY: What types of accounts did you work on?
APARO: Oh, local stuff, either stores or factory-type things.
EURY: Fashion illustration?
APARO: No, it had nothing to do with that. I’d make
S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e • B A C K I S S U E • 2 3
Batman’sBravest andBoldest Ally:
Batman’sBravest andBoldest Ally:
2 4 • B A C K I S S U E • S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e
posters, ads for sales presentations, drawing things
like toasters.
EURY: That probably helped you as an artist, in regard to
adding the smaller touches of realism. If you needed a
toaster in the background of a scene, you knew how to
draw one, right? (laughs)
APARO: (laughs) Yeah, that’s right.
EURY: In The Brave and the Bold, did the editors of the
guest-star characters have any approval rights over
your team-ups?
APARO: Not really. Murray was the guy.
EURY: I find that surprising, because today, using another
editor’s characters involves layers of approvals. So no
other editors ever reviewed, or even disapproved of, your
interpretations of their characters? You were never asked
to redraw, say, Wonder Woman or Green Lantern?
APARO: Yeah, that happened occasionally, Michael, but
I didn’t mind, you know? Although most of the times, I
was on the money. They must have enjoyed what I was
doing. But I really had no interference.
EURY: You definitely proved your versatility, drawing all of
those DC characters.
APARO: Murray let me do what I had to do. He believed
that I could handle it. But when changes needed to be
made, he would just call me on the phone and tell me,
“Now, Jim, I want you to do
this thing. I’ll send you some
pages back and correct them,”
or whatever, and I’d send them
back in.
EURY: Was Murray Boltinoff a
hands-on editor?
APARO: Murray was a good
man. He was in New York and I
was Connecticut (laughs) and
that helps, because normally,
when you’re working together,
it’s kind of hard. You know, he
was always constantly changing
this what-not or that what-not,
“You didn’t do this the way I
wanted you to do it.” The com-
petition was always there
between our artists and Murray.
And that’s true of Julie
Schwartz, too, but it worked
out okay. Carmine [Infantino], he was in charge of DC at
the moment. I got along with him, too.
They were great guys. They really were, once you
got to know them. I got along with Murray, although a
lot of people complained about him. I got along with a
lot of people at DC. But the reason was because I was
not there all the time (laughs), I wasn’t down there in
New York. I was in my own studio in Connecticut.
EURY: How often did you actually go into the city?
APARO: Oh, not that much. In case they really needed
me to come down, for whatever reason, I would make
the trip. And then every once in a while, I would come
down on my own to see everybody, to see what they
were doing. But they left me alone.
You’re left alone, you’re doing your thing, you sent
it down there. I could send stuff down, pages at a time,
because I would make copies of my pages here so I
would know what I drew and then I would send the
originals down by mail. They would deal with it; do the
color, do the lettering, whatever they had to do.
When you’re down there, you can be doing some-
thing else and somebody will ask you, “Well, what
about this?”, “What about that?” You blow a whole
day, just answering.
EURY: What was it like working with B&B writer
Bob Haney?
APARO: Bob was a good writer. I enjoyed him very
much. I only met him once or twice, but we got along
well. We talked a lot on the phone when I needed help.
“What did you mean by this?” and “What did you
mean by that?” We never had any problems.
EURY: Were Haney’s B&B scripts detailed, with specific
panel directions, or did he give you leeway to interpret
the stories?
APARO: In Bob’s scripts, he would say, “Batman is
going to be doing this, but you can do it at any angle you
want.” Some other writers would say, “No, I want you to
draw him straight on.” Haney would give you the idea of
what’s supposed to be in the panel, and it would be up
to you as the artist to put it down the way you think it
should be and what angle it’s going to be at, looking up,
looking down, sideways, upside-down, whatever. Most
writers that I worked with gave me leeway.
EURY: I’m sure when you were encouraged to put more
of your own storytelling there, it made you put more of
yourself into the stories as well.
The Team-Up TsarThe only time Aparo
drew the New Gods
was in this 1977
DC house ad.
© 2004 DC Comics.
From B&B to JLAJim Aparo was one of
the superstar artists
who contributed
to Justice League of
America #200 (1982).
© 2004 DC Comics.
Tricks of the TradeAparo’s 1980s how-to manual
from Eclipse Comics’ Tips From
Top Cartoonists.
© 2004 Jim Aparo.
S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e • B A C K I S S U E • 2 5
APARO: Right, yeah.
EURY: Many of Haney’s scripts
called for Batman doing some
pretty peculiar things: riding
a camel in the deser t [ in
B&B #112’s Mister Miracle
team-up] and leading an
army of gorilla soldiers [in
B&B #120’s Kamandi team-
up]. Do you recall ever reading
a Haney script and thinking,
“Now this is kind of out-
landish for Batman”?
APARO: No, because I was
going along with it. But,
Michael, it was an education
for me. I would go to my local
library—I knew the librarian
there—and she used to give
me books for reference, so I
would know what these things looked like because I
never went overseas and, say, to the Middle East, you
know? It was for me, really, an education.
EURY: I’ll bet it was. You usually think of writers being
the ones spending time at the library. . . .
APARO: Yeah, I guess Haney was a library man. His
scripts definitely depended on that reference. But I had
to consult books with photos in them—what the build-
ings looked like, and the towers, and this and that, and
how the people looked.
EURY: What type of art reference did you receive from
DC for drawing Batman’s co-stars? Were there company
model sheets for the characters?
APARO: Most of the artists got comic books that came
in the mail.
EURY: Comp copies.
APARO: Yeah. They used to send me the books anyway,
so I’d hang onto them. What was the book where a
whole bunch of them were together?
EURY: You’re probably thinking of Justice League.
APARO: Right. There were two versions of the Justice
League, weren’t there?
EURY: Well, there’s the Justice Society.
APARO: Right. So that’s how I got the reference for the
characters.
EURY: Exclusively from the comics.
jimaparo
Beginnings:“Miss Bikini Luv” strip in Go-Go #5 (1967)Milestones:The Phantom / Aquaman / The Phantom Stranger /The Brave and the Bold / Batman in DetectiveComics / The Spectre in Adventure Comics /Batman and the Outsiders / Batman
Works in Progress:Retirement, and commissioned illustrationsvia the Artist’s Choice.
Cyberspace:www.theartistschoice.com
Car
icat
ure
byJim
Apar
o.C
hara
cter
s©
2004
DC
Com
ics.
3 0 • B A C K I S S U E • S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e
MARVEL TEAM-UP ANNUAL#1 (1976): Spider-Man and the X-Men#2 (1979): Spider-Man and the Hulk#3 (1980): The Hulk, Power Man, and
Iron Fist (with Machine Man)#4 (1981): Spider-Man, Moon Knight,
Iron Fist, Power Man, and Daredevil#5 (1982): Spider-Man, the Thing,
Scarlet Witch, Dr. Strange, and Quasar#6 (1983): Spider-Man, Cloak and Dagger,
and the New Mutants#7 (1984): Spider-Man and Alpha Flight
GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-MAN1974–1975#1 Spider-Man and Dracula#2: Spider-Man and Master of Kung Fu#3: Spider-Man and Doc Savage#4: Spider-Man and the Punisher#5: Spider-Man and the Man-Thing
#6: Spider-Man and Human Torch (reprint)
MARVEL FEATUREMarvel Comics ! 1973#11: the Thing and the Incredible Hulk
#12: the Thing and Iron Man
MARVEL TWO-IN-ONEMarvel Comics ! 1974–1983All issues star the Thing, with theseguest stars:
#1: Man-Thing
#2: the Sub-Mariner
#3: Daredevil
#4: Captain America
#5: Guardians of the Galaxy
#6: Doctor Strange
#7: the Valkyrie
#8: Ghost Rider
#9: Thor
#10: the Black Widow
#11: the Golem
#12: Iron Man
#13: Power Man
#14: the Son of Satan
#15: Morbius
#16: Ka-Zar
#17: Spider-Man
#18: the Scarecrow
#19: Tigra
#20: the Liberty Legion
#21: Doc Savage
#22: Thor
#23: Thor
#24: Black Goliath
#25: Iron Fist
#26: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
#27: Deathlok
#28: Sub-Mariner
#29: Shang Chi, Master of Kung Fu
#30: Spider-Woman
#31: the Mystery Menace (Alicia Masters)
#32: the Invisible Girl
#33: Modred the Mystic
#34: Nighthawk
#35: Skull the Slayer
#36: Mr. Fantastic
#37: Matt Murdock, Attorney-at-Law
#38: Daredevil
#39: the Vision
#40: the Black Panther
#41: Brother Voodoo
#42: Captain America
#43: the Man-Thing
#44: Hercules
#45: Captain Marvel
#46: the Incredible Hulk
#47: the Yancy Street Gang
#48: the Jack of Hearts
#49: Dr. Strange
#50: battles the Thing
#51: the Beast, Ms. Marvel, Nick Fury,and Wonder Man
#52: Moon Knight
#53: Quasar
#54: Deathlok
#55: Giant-Man
#56: Thundra
#57: Wundarr
#58: the Aquarian
#59: the Human Torch
#60: the Impossible Man
#61: Starhawk
#62: Moondragon
#63: Warlock
#64: Stingray
#65: Triton
#66: the Scarlet Witch
#67: Hyperion
#68: the Angel
#69: the Guardians of the Galaxy
#70: ? (Yancy Street Gang)
#71: Mr. Fantastic
#72: the Inhumans
#73: Quasar
#74: the Puppet Master
#75: the Avengers
#76: Iceman
#77: the Man-Thing
#78: Wonder Man
#79: Blue Diamond
#80: the Ghost Rider
#81: the Sub-Mariner
#82: Captain America
#83: Sasquatch
#84: Alpha Flight
#85: Spider-Woman
#86: Sandman
#87: Ant-Man
#88: She-Hulk
#89: the Human Torch
#90: Spider-Man
#91: Mystery Guest(the Sphinx)
#92: Jocasta
#93: Machine Man
#94: Power Man and Iron Fist
#95: the Living Mummy
#96: Multiple Guest Stars
#97: Iron Man
#98: Franklin Richards
#99: Rom Spaceknight
#100 Ben Grimm
MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE ANNUAL#1 (1976): Thing and the Liberty Legion
#2 (1977): Thing and Spider-Man, withthe Avengers and Captain Marvel
#3 (1978): Thing and the Man Called Nova
#4 (1979): Thing and Black Bolt
#5 (1980): Thing andthe Hulk
#6 (1981): Thingand introducing . . .the American Eagle
#7 (1982): Thing andthe Avengers, Hulk,Doc Samson,Fantastic Four,Thor, Alpha Flight,and the X-Men
WESTERN TEAM-UPMarvel Comics ! 1973#1: Rawhide Kid and Dakota Kid
SUPER-VILLAIN TEAM-UPMarvel Comics ! 1975–1980#1–13: Dr. Doom and Sub-Mariner
#14: Dr. Doom and Magneto
#15: Dr. Doom and the Red Skull
#16–17: Red Skull and Hate-Monger
GIANT-SIZE SUPER-VILLAIN TEAM-UP1975#1–2: Dr. Doom and Sub-Mariner©
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S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e • B A C K I S S U E • 3 1
SUPER-TEAM FAMILYDC Comics ! 1975–1978#2: the Creeper and Wildcat
#3: the Flash and Hawkman
#11: the Flash and Supergirl plus the Atom
#12: Green Lantern and Hawkman plusthe Atom
#13: Aquaman and Captain Comet plusthe Atom
#14: Wonder Woman and the Atom
#15: the Flash and the New Gods
DC/MARVEL CROSSOVERSCo-published by DC Comicsand Marvel Comics ! 1976–1982Superman vs. the Amazing Spider Man (1976)
Marvel Treasury Edition #28 (1981):Superman and Spider-Man
DC Special Series #27 (1981):Batman vs. the Incredible Hulk
Marvel and DC Present #1 (1982): theUncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans
ALL-NEW COLLECTORS EDITIONDC Comics ! 1978#C-54: Superman vs. Wonder Woman
#C-56: Superman vs. Muhammad Ali
#C-58: Superman vs. Shazam!
DC COMICS PRESENTSDC Comics ! 1978–1986All issues star Superman, with theseguest stars:
#1: the Flash
#2: the Flash
#3: Adam Strange
#4: the Metal Men
#5: Aquaman
#6: Green Lantern
#7: the Red Tornado
#8: Swamp Thing
#9: Wonder Woman
#10: Sgt. Rock
#11: Hawkman
#12: Mister Miracle
#13: the Legion ofSuper-Heroes
#14: Superboy
#15: the Atom
#16: Black Lightning
#17: Firestorm
#18: Zatanna
#19: Batgirl
#20: Green Arrow
#21: the Elongated Man
#22: Captain Comet
#23: Doctor Fate
#24: Deadman
#25: the Phantom Stranger
#26: Green Lantern
#27: Manhunter from Mars
#28: Supergirl
#29: the Spectre
#30: Black Canary
#31: Robin the Teen Wonder
#32: Wonder Woman
#33: Shazam!
#34: the Shazam! Family
#35: Man-Bat
#36: Starman
#37: Hawkgirl
#38: the Flash
#39: Plastic Man
#40: Metamorpho the Element Man
#41: the Joker
#42: the Unknown Soldier
#43: the Legion of Super-Heroes
#44: Dial “H” for Hero
#45: Firestorm
#46: the Global Guardians
#47: the Masters of the Universe(yes, He-Man)
#48: Aquaman
#49: Shazam!
#50: Clark Kent
#51: the Atom
#52: the Doom Patrol
#53: the House of Mystery
#54: Green Arrow
#55: Air Wave
#56: Power Girl
#57: the Atomic Knights
#58: Robin the Teen Wonder andthe Elongated Man
#59: the Legion of Substitute Heroes
#60: the Guardians of the Universe
#61: OMAC, One Man Army Corps
#62: the Freedom Fighters
#63: Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld
#64: Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth
#65: Madame Xanadu
#66: the Demon
#67: Santa Claus
#68: Vixen
#69: Blackhawk
#70: the Metal Men
#71: Bizarro
#72: the Phantom Stranger and the Joker
#73: the Flash
#74: Hawkman
#75: Arion, Lord of Atlantis
#76: Wonder Woman
#77: the Forgotten Heroes (Animal-Man,Dolphin, and Congorilla)
#78: the Forgotten Villains
#79: Clark Kent
#80: the Legion of Super-Heroes
#81: Ambush Bug
#82: Adam Strange
#83: Batman and the Outsiders
#84: the Challengers of the Unknown
#85: Swamp Thing
#86: Supergirl
#87: Superboy
#88: the Creeper
#89: the Omega Men
#90: Firestorm and Captain Atom
#91: Captain Comet
#92: the Vigilante
#93: the Elastic Four (Jimmy Olsen asElastic Lad, Plastic Man, the ElongatedMan, and a stretchable menace)
#94: Harbinger, Lady Quark, and Pariah
#95: Hawkman
#96: Blue Devil
#97: the Phantom Zone Criminals
DC COMICS PRESENTS ANNUAL#1 (1982): Superman and the Golden Age
Superman
#2 (1983): Superman introducesSuperwoman
#3 (1984): Superman and Shazam!
#4 (1985): Superman and Superwoman
ACTION COMICSDC Comics ! 1987–1988The original super-hero comic becamea team-up title after the Man of SteelSuperman revamp.
All issues star Superman, with theseguest stars:#584: the Teen Titans
#585: the Phantom Stranger
#586: the New Gods
#587: the Demon
#588: Hawkman
#589: the Green Lantern Corps
#590: the Metal Men
#591: vs. Superboy
#592: Big Barda
#593: Mr. Miracle
#594: vs. Booster Gold
#595: ????????? (Martian Manhunter)
#596: the Spectre
#597: Lois Lane and Lana Lang
#598: Checkmate
#599: the Metal Men
#600: Superman and Wonder Woman
Action Comics Annual#1 (1987): Superman and Batman
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Super Teams
in Pencil
Curt Swan penciled
this commissioned
illustration back in
1984, and when
BACK ISSUE editor
Michael Eury found
a copy of it in your
humble Hambone’s
files, he immediately
got on the horn and
asked Mr. Murphy
Anderson to ink it
as this issue’s cover!
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3 2 • B A C K I S S U E • S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e
by David “Hambone” Hamilton
Super Teams
in PencilSuper Teams
in Pencil
From Superman
Annual #9 (1983),
the World’s Finest
team by Alexander
(Alex) Toth! Of course,
Mr. Toth’s sizeable
credits include
Super Friends, “Green
Lantern,” “Johnny
Thunder,” House of
Mystery, and hundreds
more classics. See our
“back issues” section
for Comic Book Artist
#11 (Jan. 2001),
featuring a
Toth spotlight.
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FANTA
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•JO
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3 4 • B A C K I S S U E • S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e
Difficult as it is to
comprehend—now—
Mr. John Byrne went
through the tryout
system at Marvel
Comics. Here is one
of his Fantastic Four
samples (which have
floated around the
industry for decades,
which I’m sure John
is sorry to know).
Tryout or not,
Byrne’s talents as a
storyteller and pencil
artist are completely
evident here!
4 4 • B A C K I S S U E • S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e
Hey, man, like, remember the ’60s? Some of you don’t, because you weren’t born yet. And some of
you don’t, because you lost too many brain cells back then.
And some of you (like me) who grew up in the ’60s remember—and even revere—writer Bob Haney, who
spoke our language (or at least tried to) with his wild, sometimes hokey, but always charming Teen Titans
scripts. A lot of kids wanted to be Batman, but I thought Robin was the coolest (his briefs and booties aside),
largely due to Haney’s characterization of the Boy Wonder in the Titans. Haney’s Robin was smart, athletic,
and a natural born leader—and he still had time to dig the sound of the Flips, to his mentor’s dismay (to
which Robin remarked, “Batman—you are definitely un-round. . . ” in Showcase #59). Many comics profes-
sionals also grew up on Haney’s stories, so it came as no surprise in 2002 that DC Comics planned a nostal-
gic Teen Titans flashback tale in its “Elseworlds” non-continuity imprint.
Then-DC editor Dan Raspler spearheaded the project, and recruited Bob Haney himself to type (yes, type—
the esteemed Mr. Haney never joined the computer age) the script—who else could best recapture the feel of
those ’60s classics? While the script was not available for review, it was reportedly set in the early 1960s and
involved both President John F. Kennedy and the Vietnam War. Original Teen Titans artist Nick Cardy
returned to draw the cover, with interior art by Jay Stephens and Mike Allred. Everyone was committed to
making this one-shot a visual blast from the past. In 2003, Teen Titans Swingin’ Elseworlds Special was solicited,
then. . .
. . . it disappeared.
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Whither Goest They?To limbo, baby, that’s where!
The pencils to page one (far
right) of Teen Titans Swingin’
Elseworlds Special, courtesy
of artist Jay Stephens, and
the finished version (above)
with inks by Mike Allred.
© 2004 DC Comics.
Teen TitansSwingin’ Elsewor
lds:
Haney-a-Go-Go(Nowhere)
by Michae l Eury
Teen TitansSwingin’ Elsewor
lds:
Haney-a-Go-Go(Nowhere)
S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e • B A C K I S S U E • 4 5
Faster than Kid Flash, mention of the book seemed
to vanish. Also, editor Raspler was let go from DC (he
wasn’t alone, incidentally) as part of an editorial
restructuring. Wha’ hoppen??
Conspiracy theorists, take a powder: The shelving of
the Titans Elseworlds seems more an editorial decision
than a boardroom machination. While no official rea-
son was ever stated by DC for the book’s removal from
its schedule, the Swingin’ solicitation came at a time
when both DC’s Teen Titans revival and the Cartoon
Network’s Teen Titans series—neither of which bear
any resemblance to Haney’s incarnation—were becom-
ing runaway successes. Titans Elseworlds’ retro look
stood in sharp contrast to the Titans the market was
embracing. Granted, some BACK ISSUE readers prefer
the swingin’ version of the teen super-team, but other
than its commendable reprint line, which includes
Archive Editions of both the Silver Age and the New
Teen Titans, DC Comics is in the business of moving
its characters forward.
But since many BI readers are curious about might
have beens, I contacted cartoonist/animator Jay
Stephens (whose TV cartoon Tutenstein recently won an
Emmy— congrats, Jay!) via email to ask him a few
questions about Swingin’ and Bob Haney. Jay, who lives
in Canada, was also kind enough to send the penciled
pages you see here, as a glimpse at the Teen Titans you
didn’t see.
MICHAEL EURY: How’d you land the Swingin’ Titans
assignment?
JAY STEPHENS: My old chum, Doc Allred, got wind of
the gig, and knew I’d like a shot at the pencils.
EURY: How familiar were you with the 1960s’ version of
the TTs?
STEPHENS: Very. I’m in love with the checkerboard era of
DC Comics [in case you came in late, mid-1960s DC covers
had a “go-go checks” pattern running across their top
borders] . . . I’d like to marry it one day. You know, if my
wife ever divorces me. Which is entirely possible.
EURY: And with writer Bob Haney?
STEPHENS: Bob’s one of my all-time favorite comics writers.
He co-created the Doom Patrol, you know . . . best super-
hero team, ever. The Titans ain’t so bad, either. Also . . .
Fat Batman [Bat-Hulk, in The Brave and the Bold #68].
EURY: Bob Haney was known (loved by some, disliked by
others) for his often crazy ideas, pseudo-hip dialogue, and
disregard for continuity. I’m guessing those elements played
right to your sensibilities. . .
STEPHENS: Oh, God, yeah. So many people take this
stuff so deadly seriously. Not me, and not Bob. You can
still love super-hero comic books and have capital-“F” fun
with the genre. Kids dressing up in primary-colored cos-
tumes to fight injustice is an inherently stupid idea, after
all. I happen to like that kind of stupid. . .
EURY: What do you have to say to Haney’s detractors?
STEPHENS: Keep reading the Ultimate comics and pre-
tending you’re “mature.” We think it’s cute!
EURY: How did Haney’s typewritten script compare to
scripts and plots by contemporary writers?
STEPHENS: Ha-ha-ha-ha! Haney’s scripting hasn’t changed
one little bit in all these years . . . it was like opening a
time capsule. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy many a good,
modern comic script (and I’ve worked with some of the
best), but Haney is from another planet entirely!
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S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e • B A C K I S S U E • 4 7
The Fantastic Four is where the modern super-hero genre truly began. Created in 1961 by StanLee and Jack Kirby, Fantastic Four was the first series in the“Marvel Age of Comics,” giving rise to all therest. Lee and Kirby endowed the FF with multidimensional personalities, with flaws as well as virtues. In their102 issues together, Lee and Kirby created the Marvel Universe, demonstrating an imaginative reachunsurpassed in the medium. Yet their epic fantasy was rooted in a world recognizably our own, in whichtheir characters could experience tragedy as well as triumph. Moreover, with Fantastic Four, Lee andKirby turned what was considered trivial juvenile fiction into a vehicle for personal expression. FantasticFour set mainstream comics on the road toward the greater artistic sophistication they have achievedin the four decades since it began.
Fantastic Four also revolutionized the super-hero team book. Though created in response to DC’s JusticeLeague of America, the FF was no coalition of unrelated characters from different series. The four leads—Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, their genius leader; his wife Susan, the Invisible Woman; her youngerbrother Johnny Storm, the Human Torch; and their best friend Ben Grimm, the monstrous Thing—wereeach at once distinctive individual personalities and necessary components of a conceptual unit. One cansee them as a family, as human embodiments of the four mythic “elements” (water, air, fire, and earth),or of different aspects of a single mind, sometimes at odds with each other, but ultimately united.
For this roundtable discussion we have submitted 12 questions about this landmark series to its co-creator, Stan Lee, and 20 other comics professionals. Most of them have written, drawn, or editedFantastic Four over its long history; all have been influenced by it. Most people responded to the ques-tionnaire via email; Gerry Conway and Alex Ross instead asked to be interviewed by phone.
With a new motion picture adaptation now in production, Fantastic Four is on the brink of reachingbeyond comics to a vast new audience. In this roundtable, comics creators from over the entire span ofFantastic Four history tell us what this landmark series has meant to them.–Peter Sanderson
roun
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rSa
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son
The Fantastic Four:The World’s Greatest Comic MagazineThe Fantastic Four:The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine
John Romita Sr.’s
Fantastic Four,
for an unspecified
project. Courtesy
of Heritage Comics.
© 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.
4 8 • B A C K I S S U E • S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e
SANDERSON: Who is the most essential member of theFantastic Four, and why?STAN LEE (FF co-creator/longtime writer): To me, they wereall equally important. But I always felt the Thing was the mostcolorful and the most appealing.
JOHN BYRNE (FF writer/artist, 1981–86): “Essential” is atricky word, but I would probably have to say the Thing.Without him, it’s not really the FF.
TOM BREVOORT (2000s FF editor): I don’t know that anyone member is essential—what was essential was the familydynamic between the four characters; that’s one of theelements that separated the series from everything elsearound it. But taking that into account, theThing was probably the greatest innovationas a personality among the original four.MARK EVANIER (colleague of FF co-creatorJack Kirby): I don’t know that there is a“most essential” member. One of thethings I always liked about the comic wasthat all four of them were important andthat they worked together . . . or didn’twork together. A good team comic isn’t justabout a group of heroes. It’s about a groupof heroes and how they function together.But since that probably doesn’t answeryour question, I’ll pick the guy with theorange rocks for skin, just because he’s usu-ally been the most interesting because he’sthe one who’s most ambivalent about theirodd lot in life.
CHRIS CLAREMONT (1990s FF writer): Thebrat in me wants to say Valeria (because Icreated her). The traditionalist wants to sayReed, because he’s the Big Brain. I’d saySue, but everyone would assume I’m play-ing to my own cliché. Johnny would haveto wait for everyone to stop laughing(sorry, kiddo). Which brings me to Ben.Who, to me, embodies the heart and soulof both the team and the concept, repre-senting the great dangers inherent inReed’s ambitions—because of them all,he’s the only one who can’t possibly hidewhat he’s become—but at the same time, triumphs that elementof the human spirit which enables us to overcome adversity.And he’s just plain fun to write.
GERRY CONWAY (1970s FF writer): There are two answersto that question: There’s the member who’s essential to theFantastic Four and the member who’s essential to the book.For the Fantastic Four, it’s Reed Richards. He’s the organiz-ing principle of the group, keeping it on track. For the book,commercially and creatively, it’s the Thing. He’s the mostinteresting and compelling character.
ROY THOMAS (1970s FF writer): To the group itself, I believeReed is the most essential, as the father figure. For me toenjoy the book, though, the most essential character is andalways has been the Thing, one of the most unique charactersin the history of comics.
LEN WEIN (1970s FF writer): Well, for sheer commercialvalue, I’d have to go with Ben Grimm. He’s probably themost popular. But I’ve always felt that Reed Richards was themost important member of the group, in that he carries thegreatest emotional burden, feeling responsible for Ben’scondition, concern for his growing family, etc. Also, whenyou get right down to it, Reed probably also generates thegreatest number of different storylines.
ALEX ROSS (Marvels and Earth X artist): I think of theThing, who has the personality and the charm, and that’swhat sells. Otherwise, it’s the Human Torch, who was acarryover to the Silver Age. [The original Human Torch
debuted in 1939 and inspired Lee andKirby’s creation of the Fantastic Four’sHuman Torch.] He had the legs to supporthimself in a solo series and he did [in StrangeTales]. His helping hand made the bookwhat it is. But my choice for the most essen-tial member is the Reed Richardscharacter. He’s the straight man in comics,who would be considered by some to beboring. But on his back is the greatestburden. By his steadfast calm and whatwould be considered his boring personality,he’s the bulwark that they rest upon. I havea great fondness for characters like that. Isee Reed Richards as the metaphor for thecreative mind. Reed having a super-poweralmost sullies his worth. Jim Krueger [Ross’collaborator on Earth X and its sequels] andI have a particular love for this character—maybe because I’ve become a more boring,straitlaced guy!
RICH BUCKLER (1970s FF artist):Reed Richards,I would think, since putting together thegroup was his idea, and he provides theleadership.
MARK WAID (2000s FF writer): Reed. Withouthim, it’s entirely likely that the other threewould have squandered their heroic poten-tial living out unrealized, mundane lives.MARV WOLFMAN (1970s FF writer): ReedRichards. Simply because he’s the crux of the
group, the one who holds it together and the “father” figurein the family. Since the FF is a family, there needs to be onehead, and Reed’s it.
PAUL RYAN (1990s FF artist): I would say it is a toss-upbetween Reed and Sue. Reed is the planner/inventor. If aparticular menace is beyond his malleable powers to stop heinvents a device to defeat the villain. Sue is the tie that bindsthem all together. Without her I think they would go theirseparate way.
KURT BUSIEK (Marvels writer): My first impulse was toanswer “Reed,” but thinking it over, I’ll say “Sue.” Ben andJohnny are flashy and fun, and Reed’s the one who givesthem a direction, but he’d be doing the same things even onhis own. It’s Sue that binds them together as a family, thatmakes them a team. Without her, I think they’d drift apart.
(Center) Stan “the
Man” Lee, in a 1969
illustration by Don
Heck. Courtesy of
Heritage Comics.
Romita stretches
his penciling chops
in this sketch of Mr.
Fantastic. Courtesy
of Frank Giella
(www.frankgiella.com).
© 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.
S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e • B A C K I S S U E • 4 9
JERRY ORDWAY (1980s FF artist): While my favorite is BenGrimm, the most essential is Sue, who really held thingstogether. She exerted an influence over Reed, her mate,Johnny, her brother, and Ben, who usually acted the gentle-man when Sue was around. It wasn’t a perfect family, but itworked.
STEVE ENGLEHART (1970s FF writer): I’d say Ben, butthey’re all essential. Didn’t keep me from shaking them up,because essential isn’t a license to be boring, but if all ofthem are operating on all cylinders, each one has somethingvital to contribute.
STEVE RUDE (Kirby admirer/FF special projects artist):I don’t know how the team would function were one to beomitted, because as a team, all four personnel are critical todoing their job. For example, without Reed, they would beleaderless, without the Thing, they would lack their heavy-hitter, without Sue, there would be too [much] testosterone. . . etc.
WALTER SIMONSON (FF writer/artist, 1989–91): In a sense, I don’tthink this is really answerable.Characters have dropped out andbeen substituted for but in theend, the FF is the original fourmembers. The FF do seem to bea family group and if you changemembers, you may still have fourcharacters and they still may be“fantastic” and they may even bygreat pals, but it ain’t the samefamily.
ROGER STERN (1980s FF writer):I’m not sure that there is onesingle “essential member.” Hasn’tevery one of them quit and/orbeen thought dead at leastonce? I think they’re all prettyessential, myself. You can haveother heroes fill-in for one of them for a while, but the FF isReed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny. Other combinations may makefor an interesting change of pace, but nothing beats theoriginal.
KARL KESEL (2000s FF inker/co-writer): None of the FF ismore essential than the others. That’s why no matter whoelse rotates through the group, it always comes back toReed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben. As I’m sure others havepointed out, as representative of the Four Elements (fire, air,water, and earth), the FF are interdependent, even on a con-ceptual level.
TOM DeFALCO (1990s FF writer): They are all essential.Reed is the team’s mind, Sue is the heart, Ben gives themfortitude, and Johnny is [the] fun side.
SANDERSON: Who was your favorite substitute memberof the Fantastic Four, and why? (Substitutes haveincluded Luke Cage, Crystal, Dr. Doom, Ghost Rider,HERBIE the Robot, Hulk, Medusa, She-Hulk, Spider-Man,and Wolverine.)
LEE: Crystal was my favorite. If memory serves, I think Iintroduced her as love interest for Johnny Storm.
BREVOORT: Probably Crystal, since her inclusion A) was doneby Stan and Jack, and so it had a legitimacy that the laterones lacked, and B) maintained the family flavor of the seriesin a way that the other characters really didn’t. Crystal wasa member of the household; everybody else was merely aguest star.
ORDWAY: I think Crystal was my favorite. I loved the issueswhere Johnny and Wyatt Wingfoot first encountered theInhumans. Later, when she subbed for Sue, she fit in perfectly.
EVANIER: Never cared for any of the substitute members,but if I have to name one, I’ll say Crystal. Few of the othersever seemed to really relate to the other three; they justseemed stuck into the stories for marquee value.
BUSIEK: Crystal, because she’s the only one that fitscleanly into the “family” dynam-ic—she’s Johnny’s girl, and that’sa family tie. Plus, “she makesDorrie Evans look like a boy!”Second choice: Medusa, for herimperious attitude.
CONWAY: They are by definitionsecond best. They’re not the firstteam. I liked working with Medusa,because she was another femalein the group. Thundra was goodto a degree. The big problem I hadwriting the Fantastic Four was thelack of strong female figures. SueStorm wasn’t a strong female fig-ure [back then], and I like strongfemale figures! [laughs]
STERN: Probably She-Hulk, thoughI’ll always have a soft spot forCrystal. She was Johnny’s firstreally major romantic interest,after all.
ROSS: She-Hulk, mostly based upon sex appeal. She fitquite nicely the way Byrne wrote her in. She had the mostnatural fit, rather than Crystal or Medusa or PowerMan. With Crystal, you couldn’t get a real stronggrasp on what her gimmick is. You need someonewith a more distinct power. Crystal is not an attrac-tive female super-hero on her own. Ifanything happened with the Thing, it feels likeShe-Hulk can fit into the ensemble.
BYRNE: She-Hulk—because she occupied the sameposition as the Thing, with many of the same abilities,but came at the job from a totally different angle.
KESEL: She-Hulk, probably. John Byrne did some wonderful,unexpected things with her as a member. I got a real sensethat she connected with the family and fit in, a real sense ofbelonging. Now she doesn’t write, doesn’t call. . .
RYAN: She-Hulk. She has power to spare and curves thatcan stop traffic. She also has a great attitude about life. Justask Wyatt [Wingfoot].
Bowen Designs’ Thing
mini-bust, sculpted
by Randy Bowen
(www.bowendesigns.com).
© 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.
The ever-lovin’ Thing in
a 2003 sketch by joltin’
Joe Sinnott. Courtesy of
Tony Thomas.
© 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.
(far left and above)
The Torch, by John
Romita, Sr. Courtesy
of Frank Giella.
© 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.
5 0 • B A C K I S S U E • S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e
DeFALCO: I really loved what John Byrnedid with the She-Hulk—especially the storywhere she’s photographed sunbathingatop Four Freedoms Plaza—and I alsoenjoyed putting the Scott Lang Ant-Maninto the book because he was so totallyout of his depth.
CLAREMONT: I’d have to go with She-Hulk,because she made a great counterpartto Ben. But I ’ve always thought theImpossible Man should have been given adecent shot.
ENGLEHART: Ms. Marvel, of course.[Sharon Ventura, the second Ms. Marvel,not Carol Danvers; she became She-Thing.]The “She-Thing” touched something veryprimal about the group that had been lostfor 25 years.
BUCKLER: Luke Cage.
THOMAS: I enjoyed writing Luke Cage/Power Man as a member . . . Medusa, too.No part icular reason I can think of ,
though. Maybe I ju s t l i ked look ing a t d raw ingsof Medusa.
SIMONSON: After the answer I gave above [to #1], it mayseem odd that I’m the guy who wrote the “new” FantasticFour story with Spidey, Wolverine, the Hulk, and Ghost Rider.But I did the story for the same reason I do all my stories; Ithought it would be fun. And I hoped it would be some-thing a bit different. After comics have run for years, it’stough sometimes to find new situations for everybody; the“new” FF (a lineup that got a little help from Kurt Busiek,who was working at Marvel back then) seemed like an ideathat was fun. It obviously wasn’t meant to be anythingpermanent. But it was a gas to press other characters intoservice into roles of the original FF. The Hulk = the Thing.Ghost Rider = the Torch. Spidey = Reed. Wolverine = Sue???So maybe it wasn’t an exact fit. But it seemed entertainingon its own merits, offering some new story possibilities fora few issues.
WOLFMAN: Sorry, I think the FF works only when the mainfour are there and not when there are substitutes.
WEIN: I actually don’t have a favorite. To me, the FantasticFour is Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben. Anybody else is justsalad dressing.
SANDERSON: What is your favorite FF story (not written ordrawn by yourself, with the exception of Stan Lee) and why?LEE: I have two favorites. 1) The so-called Galactus Trilogy[FF #48–50] and 2) damn it, I forget the name, but it’s theone where someone else, a bad guy, becomes the Thing butends up as a hero sacrificing himself for the others [“ThisMan, This Monster” in FF #51].
CONWAY: It’s the greatest comic-book story of all time:“This Man, This Monster.” It sums up the entire theme ofthe Fantastic Four and of super-hero comic books. It’s theperfect super-hero story: [about] the struggle betweenpower and responsibility, friendship and duty, sacrifice,
alienation. There are so many themes in that one story. Theability to triumph over your own worst impulses. The hero[of that story] is the villain, which is wonderful! That’s anothertremendous theme: When you receive a gift of power, itchanges you, for better or for worse. You’re not doomed to bea bad person. It’s a very empowering story. [SANDERSON:I point out that the “villain” dies.] We all die. That’s the end-ing of every story. So the question is, how do you die, whodo you die as?
BYRNE: “This Man, This Monster” is probably the best writ-ten and drawn, though I have a soft spot for the one in FF#5 because it was the first one I read.
SIMONSON: “This Man, This Monster”—the quintessentialFF story. Great character interaction and a core story aboutbetrayal, heroics, and death. All in 22 pages. You can’t doany better.
BUCKLER: “This Man, This Monster.” Because it exploredthe Thing’s character and gave some depth to the BenGrimm side of him.
WAID: “This Man, This Monster,” which was not only theperfect FF story showcasing all the key elements of the seriesbut also a genuinely powerful story in and of itself.
KESEL: “This Man, This Monster.” Total surprise, huh? Betno one else said that. But, y’know, it’s probably the bestcomic story ever produced. Clichés are clichés for a reason.
STERN: Probably issue #51—“This Man, This Monster.” It’shard to pin things down, though. By the time I started readingthe FF, long, wide-ranging stories had become the norm: theInhumans Saga [FF #44–48], the Galactus Trilogy, the BlackPanther story [#52–53], the Doom/Silver Surfer story[#56–60]. Makes it difficult to pick just one issue, or evenjust one story arc.
ORDWAY: I liked “This Man, This Monster,” where the fakeBen saves Reed from the Negative Zone. It’s really hard tonarrow them down, as the Galactus trilogy is way up there,as well as the one where Doom stole the Surfer’s powers[#56–60].
WOLFMAN: The Galactus trilogy that introduces Galactusand the Silver Surfer, followed by “This Man, This Monster.”WEIN: I guess it’s the same story everybody mentions, “ThisMan, This Monster,” followed closely by the first Galactusstory. The former because it captures the amazing humanityof the series, the latter because it epitomizes the book’smind-blowing cosmic scale.
ENGLEHART: FF #49 (of course). It happens to have beenthe first one I ever read, in addition to being everyone’sconsensus favorite. Story and art, both at their very peak; Iran around showing it to people saying, “Don’t tell mecomics can’t be great!”
CLAREMONT: FF #49 and 50, because they got me hookedon Stan and Jack, on Marvel, on U.S. comics when I wasprimed to walk away.
BREVOORT: I think I’d have to go with Doom stealing thepowers of the Silver Surfer [FF #56–60], because it was aheck of a topper to the Galactus Trilogy, and because itcame smack dab in the middle of the greatest period in thehistory of the strip. I read it years after the fact, when it was
Neal Adams’
take on the
Silver Surfer.
Courtesy of
David Hamilton.
© 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.
© 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.
©20
04M
arve
lCha
ract
ers,
Inc.
6 2 • B A C K I S S U E • S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e
Engineeredfor ActionA pin-up by
Will Meugniot
from the DNAgents
series bible. All
artwork in this
feature is courtesy
of Will Meugniot.
© 2004 Mark Evanierand Will Meugniot.
You can’t keep the good guysdown for long. Sure, every team of
super-heroes has its darkest hour,
those moments when it looks like all
is lost. If you’re lucky (and a member
of the Teen Titans or the X-Men),
those bleak periods might only last
a few issues. For other super-teams,
the dark times can last much longer.
You want to talk long stretches
of nothing but shadows in a room
painted black? Try over a decade. That
was the long stretch visited upon one
of the most original super-teams of
the 1980s, the DNAgents. This team
of genetically engineered super-heroes—
Surge, Rainbow, Amber, Tank, and
Sham—was last seen in the late
1980s in their series published by
Eclipse Comics. For too many years,
DNAgents appeared to be nothing
more than a pleasant memory, lost
forever except in back-issue boxes.
But the longer the wait for the
return of heroes, the sweeter it seems
when they finally come back to us. The DNAgents are proving just that with the release of their first
reprint collection from About Comics. This volume collects, for the first time ever, the first six issues of
the original DNAgents series in trade-paperback form. To mark this occasion, BACK ISSUE sat down
with the team’s creators, writer Mark Evanier and artist Will Meugniot, for this special “Pro2Pro” in
which we uncover the secrets that went into building one of the best super-teams ever.
—Dan Johnson
inte
rvie
wby
Dan
John
son
cond
ucte
don
June
18,2
004
How to Build aBetter Super-Team:Mark Evanier and WillMeugniot on DNAgents
How to Build aBetter Super-Team:Mark Evanier and WillMeugniot on DNAgents
DAN JOHNSON: Let’s start off with something fairly easy.What was the story behind the creation of the DNAgents?
MARK EVANIER: Will, you want to start?
WILL MEUGNIOT: Sure. Actually, it came about from acouple of things. Both Mark and I had been following thethen independent comics movement with a lot of interest.I was working at Marvel Productions [animation] at the time,and Dave Stevens would come by the bullpen with hisRocketeer pages and the guys and I were all just blownaway. I was already toying with the idea of doing somethingin the area, when I ran into Stan [Lee] on the way to theoffice. We were in the middle of working on the [early1980s NBC] Hulk cartoons, and the network had just decid-ed that the Hulk’s clothes had to magically appear on himevery time he transformed back to Banner. I got startedthinking, (laughing) “You know, it might be fun just to doa comic where you didn’t have to do that kind of stuff.” SoI called Mark, and Mark was ready to go on something.
EVANIER: Yeah, we went to lunch down in Little Tokyo thatday and talked over ideas, what we wanted to do andthemes that interested us both. Somehow, in a flash ofinspiration—or maybe it was Teriyaki sauce—we got stuckwith this idea.
JOHNSON: Mark, if I’m not mistaken, DNAgents was thefirst time you had ventured into the super-hero genre, right?
EVANIER: Not quite, but it was fairly close. I did a fewsuper-hero things before then, but I had stuck closer tofunny-animal comics and I did the Tarzans for a couple ofyears. I like all kinds of material, and I’d been eager to do asuper-hero story for some length of time. I thought it wouldbe interesting to try and build some new characters, asopposed to playing with someone else’s.
MEUGNIOT: I gotta say that was one of my interests too.When I had done stuff for Marvel before, like the Tigra seriesand Howard the Duck, I was never happy about not havingany editorial control over what happened. Vince Collettainked my second job, and Sonny Trinidad inked my third.So I thought it would be nice to have control over who wasinking my stuff and to work with a writer I really liked.
JOHNSON: When DNAgents came out, the independentmarket was really just starting to take off. Mark, I had readthe stories about Blackhawk at DC—
EVANIER: (faking bewilderment) Wait, DC published Blackhawk?
JOHNSON: That’s what I’ve heard.
MEUGNIOT: I never even heard of that book, man!
JOHNSON: Well, I’ve heard rumors to that effect. I hope oneday DC will realize that they published it and put it out ina trade paperback, because that was a terrific series.
EVANIER: I think there’s more of a chance of O.J. finding thereal killers.
MEUGNIOT: It’s funny, sometimes the things that we’vedone that we love are the ones that are least likely toget recognition.
S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e • B A C K I S S U E • 6 3
Beginnings:Cartoon-comics scripts for Disney and Gold Key,and an apprenticeship under Jack Kirby (circa1969–70)
Milestones:Comics: DNAgents / Groo / Crossfire / Tarzan /Blackhawk / Crossfire / Welcome Back, Kotter /Fanboy / POV column / The Mighty MagnorAnimation and Live-Action TV: Welcome Back,Kotter / Garfield and Friends / Plastic Man /Thundarr the Barbarian / The Trollkins / ABCWeekend Special / Rickety Rocket / Superman:The Animated Series / Richie Rich / Dungeons &Dragons / That’s Incredible!
Works inProgress:POV Online /DNAgents andCrossfire TPBs(About Comics) /Superheroes inMy Pants
Cyberspace:
Beginnings:First fanzine art: The Gila in Tony Rutherford’s
ditto zine, Bombshell (1967)
First published art: Tigra the Were-Woman in
Marvel Chillers #3 (1976)
Milestones:Comics: Marvel Chillers (Tigra) / DNAgents / Vanity /
Exotic Fantasy / FemForce covers / Mary America
Animation: Super Friends / Flash Gordon / The Thing /
Lone Ranger / Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends /
G.I Joe / Pryde of the X-Men / Jem / Bionic Six /
Captain Planet / Conan the Adventurer /
Silver Surfer / Spider-Man Unlimited
Works in Progress:
G.I. Joe / Valor vs. Venom (direct-to-video feature) /
Monkie Mondei
(Komikwerks #4)
Cyberspace:
Car
toon
bySe
rgio
Arag
ones
. Cha
ract
ers
©Re
spec
tive
Com
pani
es
www.newsfromme.com
www.storyboardpro.com
EVANIER: Yeah, you can’t be too results-oriented in thisbusiness. Sometimes, your favorite projects are not the mostlucrative or the most noticed. You just have to do enoughdifferent things so that it all averages out.
JOHNSON: Gotcha. Anyway, I was going to ask, whatwould you say were the immediate advantages of taking
DNAgents out through the direct-salesmarket, besides the artistic control thatWill mentioned?
EVANIER: We actually had an auction,courtesy of Mike Friedrich, who at thattime was agenting comics properties. Infact, I believe we were the first thing heever offered around. Mike wanted to usethe DNAgents to start his agency, andhe asked if he could even submit it topublishers that we wouldn’t want to gowith, just so he could help establish thecommerce of his business. He passed itaround, and there was a lot of interesteverywhere, but the most serious offercame from Eclipse. That was the one weliked the best and that’s why it woundup there. They made the best offer, bothin terms of money and format, and alsocreative control.
MEUGNIOT: We were both really excited
about having the better printing that Eclipse had than anyoneelse. I think the only downside was the higher cover price.
JOHNSON: You do bring up the good point that you twowere the first creators to be represented by an agent in theindustry. Tell us about that.
EVANIER: I had known Mike for many years, and I was usedto being represented by an agent for my television work.I thought at that point the comic business needed tomature. There was a time in the industry when they notonly wouldn’t talk to agents, they wouldn’t let you show acontract to a lawyer before you had to sign it. I just feltthere was a maturation process emerging in the comic-book business at that time and I was eager to do my partand support it.
MEUGNIOT: I felt the same. There were a lot of things aboutDNAgents that [were ground-breaking]. It was actually the firstcomic that was sold via a television-style pitch. Mark and I dida bible with illustrations, just like you would if you were sellinga television show.
JOHNSON: Both you gentlemen have pretty impressivecareers in the television industry. What was the pitch like forthe book?
EVANIER: We devised these characters together and wewrote up descriptions of them. I had been doing bibles forSaturday-morning cartoon shows. At some point I think Iheld the record for the most pilots that actually went on tobecome series. So we did a 15- to 20-page bible describing
6 4 • B A C K I S S U E • S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e
The Hulk and HisAmazing Friends
Former TV Hulk
animator Meugniot’s
take on Marvel’s non-
team, the Defenders.
© 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc.
First Issue SpecialWill Meugniot’s
pencils to the cover
of DNAgents #1.
© 2004 Mark Evanierand Will Meugniot.
7 4 • B A C K I S S U E • S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e
Green Arrowand Green LanternA commissioned sketch by
Denny O’Neil’s frequent
teammate, Neal Adams.
Courtesy of Mike Dunne.
GL/GA © 2004 DC Comics.Art © 2004 Neal Adams.
I think Joe Reader’s logic must go something like this: I like super-doers in
costumes, and if there’s more than one of them in the magazine I’m buying, I’m getting
a good deal.
What our imaginary Joe is contemplating are super-hero comic books that feature
more than one good guy. They’ve been popular for a long time—more than 65 years—
and maybe they sometimes are a good deal. And, sometimes, maybe they’re not.
For writers they can be a problem.
A little Creative Writing 101, if you don’t mind:
Conflict is basic to almost all fiction—certainly all fiction that involves a struggle
between good and evil, and that includes each one of the thousands of super-hero
comics I’ve read, written, and edited over the decades. For conflict to be interesting, it
has to exist between antagonists who are approximately equal, in physical and mental
capabilities if not in moral maturity. Put the toughest girl scout on the block in the box-
ing ring with Mike Tyson and your pay-per-view profits will not be large. Now if you,
the writer, are dealing with a demi-goddish powerhouse like Superman, the Silver
Surfer, or Captain Marvel, to name just three, you’ve got to exercise some ingenuity to
give your hero an opponent he can’t logically obliterate in a few nanoseconds. Put a
bunch of costumed demigods in the same story and have someone wish you the good
luck you’ll need.
I once begged off writing Justice League of America when I realized I was making the
book Alien Invasion of the Month comics.
Having just two heroes can be as bad as having a herd of them if their powers aregues
ted
itor
ial
byde
nny
o’ne
il
Editor’s note:
Among the many, many,
many accomplishments
of comics writer, editor,
and teacher Dennis O’Neil
is his ability to combine
diverse characters—from
the super-knights of the
round table the Justice
League of America to the
politically polarized pair
of Green Lantern and
Green Arrow—into one
adventure. But writing
super teams isn’t as easy
as Denny makes it look,
and he’d like to get that
off his chest. —Michael
JoeReader’sLogic
JoeReader’sLogic
7 6 • B A C K I S S U E • S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e
Metropolis truly exists. But there are no shining metal
and crystalline skyscrapers filled with alien technology to be
found. This is Metropolis, population 6,482 and founded in
1838, the official, honest-to-Earth Prime home of the Man of
Steel, Superman.
The real-life Metropolis, the only city with this name listed
in the U.S. Postal Zip Code Directory, rests amidst rolling farm-
lands in the southeast corner of Illinois. When the late Robert
Westerfield moved here, he became the prime mover behind
the city’s “adoption” of the Last Son of Krypton. Illinois House
Resolution #572, dated June 9, 1972, declared Metropolis,
Illinois, as Superman’s “official” home. With DC Comics’
permission, the “Superman Association” got to work.
A museum opened and investors lined up to fund “The Amazing World of
Superman,” an ambitious 1,000-acre theme park conceptualized by Neal Adams
(see DC Limited Collectors’ Edition #C-31, Oct-Nov., 1974), and a tabloid-sized magazine
promoting the park was produced. However, the dream was not yet to be. Delays in
completing the nearby interstate and petroleum shortages at the time scuttled the
city’s plans. In 1974, every asset of the museum was auctioned off and the Superman
Association shelved its plans.
But in 1979, when Superman: The Movie convinced the world that a man could fly,
phone calls poured into Metropolis, and the idea of putting on an annual festival
You’re EnteringSuperman Country
Superman watches over
travelers half a mile
west of Interstate 24’s
exit 37. Unless otherwise
noted, all photographs
accompanying this
article were taken
by and are © 2004
Brian K. Morris.
Guarding Market Street
is Metropolis’ most
impressive and famous
landmark, in all
its 15' glory.
Metropolis Lives!A Guided Tour of Superman’s City, June 2004
by B r ian K. Morr i s
S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e • B A C K I S S U E • 7 7
took on full four-color life. The result: The “Superman
Celebration” is held each year during the second
weekend in June. Open to the public at large, the
event is free.
THE CITY OF SUPER-PEOPLEIf the billboard near the last exit in Illinois doesn’t tell
you who this town belongs to, the image painted on
the water tower might. Or perhaps it would be the
signs that advertise souvenirs at the gas station, the
drugstore, the greeting-card shop, the quick oil change
garage, or ones along Route 45 that proudly say,
“Super Statue Ahead” They lead travelers to Superman
Square, where a 15-foot-tall bronze statue depicts the
town’s favorite son. Erected in June 1993 at a cost of
$100,000 to commemorate the [DC Comics event the]
death of Superman, this statue replaces a seven-footer
from 1986. Each brick in the foundation represents
donations from local fans, businesses, families,
schools, and celebrities.
During Superman Celebration 2004, a huge tent on
the statue’s left side houses magicians, musicians,
models, and more. Chamber of Commerce representa-
tives sell T-shirts, distribute schedules for the week-
end’s festivities, and cheerfully greet the estimated
20,000 visitors from all over the globe.
Along the next few blocks, vendors line the street,
selling curly fries, ice cream, funnel cakes, and just
about anything that can be deep-fried or can fit into a
pita. Icy cold drinks are gratefully consumed to counter
the usual June heat and humidity. Families shop for
toys, comics, and craft items before moving toward
the carnival rides and other attractions. The festive
atmosphere is distinctly “small town” with its easy
pace and simple fare.
What would a Superman Celebration be without its
Superman? Wearing the familiar red, blue, and yellow
uniform, Scott Cranford, the city’s Superman since
2000, strides the streets of Metropolis as if he’d just
stepped from the pages of Action Comics. He greets
children and adults alike with a warm smile and a firm
handshake, giving everyone the feeling that they’ve
actually met their favorite hero. A professional actor
and stand-in, Cranford has made appearances in
movies like Batman Returns, Independence Day, Predator
II, and Die Hard II. He also operates his own website,
www.heroicworld.com, where he displays his photos,
artwork, and writing. In 2001, Cranford got married in
full uniform at one of Metropolis’ city parks. His best
man was dressed as Robin, the Boy Wonder, and the
ceremony was attended by “Jor-El,” “Zatanna,”
“Supergirl,” and dozens of well-wishers.
THE CLASH OF CAPEAND COWLEver since 1993, the Celebration plays host to
celebrities from movies, television, and comics. In
some years, the stars come from outside the world
of Superman, such as recent attendees Adam West,
Yvonne Craig, and Julie Newmar from TV’s Batman;
or the 2004 guests, TV’s Hulk Lou Ferrigno and original
Captain Marvel (in Shazam!) Jackson Bostwick. Over
the years, both TV Superboys from the 1990s, John
Haymes Newton and Gerard Christopher, have
greeted fans, as have live-action Men of Steel Kirk Alyn
(from the Superman movie serials), Bob Holliday (from
the stage musical It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman),
and Lois & Clark star Dean Cain. Superstars from
the comics pages have included Jeph Loeb, Mike
Carlin, Kerry Gammill, Steve Rude, and Alex Ross,
the latter of whom met his wife at the event. Super-
cinema stars Lois Lanes Margot Kidder and Phyllis
Coates; Jimmy Olsens Tommy Bond, Jack Larson, and
Marc McClure; and Valerie Perrine, Lane Smith, Jeff
East, Jack Halloran, and Sarah Douglas have also
appeared as guests.
But if there’s royalty here, it’s Noel Neil, the official
“First Lady of Metropolis” and the Lois Lane that
many baby boomers grew up with while watching
George Reeves repel bullets and duck from the empty
Scott
“Superman”
Cranford greets
two pint-sized
festival-goers
Jackson Bostwick,
television’s first
Captain Marvel, poses
with Brian K. Morris.
Photo by and ©
2004 Cookie Morris.
Noel Neill poses with
one of her adoring fans.
guns when hurled at him on TV’s The Adventures
of Superman.
Lines begin to form an hour before the stars’ scheduled
appearances. Each celebrity is given space inside one
of the three downtown Metropolis banks, all within
walking distance of each other. For later risers, a large
tent houses a late-morning public Q and A. When that
session ends, admirers queue up outside the Chamber
of Commerce, clutching their prized “autographables”
and waiting patiently in the warm sun for a few seconds
with all the celebrities.
FOR THE MAN WHO HASEVERYTHINGWhen five-year old Jim Hambrick was in the hospital
and needed cheering up, his mother gathered her limited
funds to buy a Superman lunchbox, the gift that
changed the course of Jim’s life. He began accumu-
lating a collection of Superman memorabilia that
eventually numbered in the thousands, the largest in
the world.
Hambrick created a traveling display of Super-
souvenirs that toured the U.S. Starting in 1985, he
took eight years (one year alone spent packing) and
five 55-foot tractor trailers, and moved his display to
Superman’s official home, establishing the Superman
Museum in 1993, putting a fraction of his personal
collection on public view for a mere three-dollar
charge. As Hambrick told The Paducah Sun in 2001,
“The statue brings in a lot of people. And 95 percent
of the people who come to see the statue who [leave]
their cars come into the museum.” Several thousand
people pass through the gates of the museum during
the Celebration, with around 200 daily during the rest
of the year. When he isn’t helping to organize the
Celebration or draw attention to the event, Hambrick
also sells Superman-related items in a museum-based
gift shop, on eBay, and at his website,
www.supermansuperstore.com.
Inside the Superman Museum, visitors can see
memorabilia from the Superman Family’s numerous
media appearances. Entire sections are devoted to photos
and props from Smallville, Superboy, Supergirl, and Lois
& Clark, as well as cels from Super Friends and other
animated shows. Mannequins display clothing once
worn by George Reeves, Kirk Alyn, Gerard
Christopher, Terri Hatcher, and Dean Cain, and even
the “flying harnesses” used by Superman Christopher
Reeve and Supergirl Helen Slater in their respective
films.
Toys, games, videos, homemade curios from around
the globe, and several decades’ worth of comic-book
original artwork line the walkways of the museum.
The past and the present exist simultaneously in the
museum’s winding corridors.
And as you exit, you know that Jim Hambrick is still
searching for new treasures. And why not? He’s
already got a place to put them.
“I have a 30,000 square foot space outside of town,”
Hambrick told Roadside America. “As soon as the Inter-
state goes four-lane there, we’ll see about moving.”
WHAT CAN ONE MAN DO?Before put in charge of marketing for the Superman
Museum, Atlanta-based David Olsen’s involvement
with the Man of Steel seemed almost predestined. His
mother’s maiden name was “White,” like a certain
great metropolitan newspaper editor; he shares a sur-
name with the world’s most famous cub reporter; and
his wife is the granddaughter of the late DC artist Dick
Dillin (Blackhawk, Justice League of America, and various
Superman titles).
Eight years ago, Olsen discovered the Superman
Celebration via a friend. Upon learning that the
auction held at the event drew only 30 people, he
approached Hambrick about taking it over. In 2004,
more than 230 items were offered for bid and
the room filled to capacity. “We’re at 200 people-
plus every year now,” Olsen explains, “and the only
reason we can’t get more is because the facility won’t
hold enough.”
The offerings come from professional dealers, atten-
dees, and celebrities alike. Any given auction might
contain old games, toys, coloring books, artwork done
Cinema’s
four Supermen—
Kirk Alyn, George
Reeves, Christopher
Reeve, and Dean
Cain—adorn
this mural.
7 8 • B A C K I S S U E • S u p e r T e a m s I s s u e
One of the few
remaining complete
uniforms worn by
Christopher Reeve
stands on display in the
Superman Museum.